Danganronpa: Ultimate Despair Ship
by Ziggymia123
Summary: 20 years ago, humanity left earth in massive, country-wide Ships. Every inch of these Ships has been explored and accounted for. So how did 16 teenagers wake up in an area that none of them have ever seen before, an area that's completely walled off from everything and everyone else? (SYOC CLOSED! 11/16 alive)
1. Introduction

When Hope won, everything was supposed to be okay. That was the expectation. The darkest impulses of Despair had been beaten back, and humanity now stood stronger for the challenges that it faced. And maybe humanity was stronger. Maybe without Despair, we never would have been able to accomplish what we did.

The Earth was dying. There was simply no way around that fact. And while the countries of the world could delay the inevitable for a little while, extinction was imminent. And there was nowhere to go. A select few decided to go and colonize Mars. Which was fine if you were richer than God and could afford to join them, but what about everyone else?

The Ships were our salvation. Massive superstructures, capable of supporting a country's entire population across thousands of light-years, sprung up all over the place as countries poured their heart and soul into them. Apparently, someone got the idea by watching an episode of this old show. It doesn't really matter. Japan was one of the first countries to complete their Ship, and we left in search of a new home.

That was twenty years ago. Morale is still high. The first Ship-born generation is just now coming into their own, and I, for one, just can't wait to see what those crazy kids get up to.

 **Hey everyone! So, this is obviously a SYOC kind of story. I've hung around the fringes of this fandom for a while, and I've finally decided to take the plunge into writing. I'm super excited to do this, and I can't wait to see what characters you guys create!**

 **A couple of ground rules first:**

 **-No Mary or Gary Sues. This one should hopefully be self-explanatory, but needs to be said anyways. Give your characters flaws, foibles, weaknesses, all of the good stuff that makes them a fun character!**

 **-I'll take up to three submissions from a person, although I'll only accept one of them. Depending on how many submissions I get, I might stretch that to two, but I'm hoping that I won't have to.**

 **-Your characters should be of Japanese descent. If not, then they'll need a pretty good and convincing reason as to why their parents are on the country's ship.**

 **-This is a science fiction setting, so please keep the ultimate talents on theme. I want you to be creative, but take a moment to think if the talent really fits the world or not. So, for example, "Ultimate Scuba Diver" would not work since you don't really have that on a spaceship. Repeat talents from the game are okay, but differentiate your character from them in some meaningful way!**

 **-Send your submissions via PM with the format "SYOC: Character Name, Talent." Review submissions will not be accepted.**

 **-Acceptances will NOT be on a first come, first served basis. I will start to make my decisions on July 1** **st** **. You can continue to submit characters after that date until all of the spots are full, but get them in by the end of the month if you can.**

 **Below is the submission form. There will be a copy on my profile for ease of use. I love paragraphs and details! The more that you give me to work with, the greater chance that I will accept your character! If you have any questions about anything, please do not hesitate to message me!**

 **THE BASICS**

 **Name:**

 **Age:**

 **Gender:**

 **Sexual Orientation:**

 **Talent:**

 **Physical Appearance:**

 **Clothing:**

 **THE INNER LIFE**

 **Personality:**

 **If you had to sum up your character in 3 words, they would be:**

 **Strengths:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **History:**

 **Likes:**

 **Dislikes:**

 **What kind of person do they get along with:**

 **What kind of person do they hate:**

 **THE GAME**

 **Put in order of most to least likely, _along with your reason why_. I will try to accommodate everyone's preferences, but I can't guarantee that you'll get your first choice. Remember that this is Danganronpa. Not everyone can survive or be the mastermind. **

**Survivor**

 **Blackened**

 **Victim**

 **Mastermind**

 **How would your character act in the following situations?**

 **Learning of the killing game:**

 **Discovering a body:**

 **Investigating a murder (innocent):**

 **Investigating a murder (guilty):**

 **At trial (innocent):**

 **At trial (guilty):**

 **Witnessing an execution:**

 **How Monokuma would execute your character:**

 **Free Time Event ideas:**

 **Is your character open to romance? If so, what's their type:**

 **Quotes:**

 **And that's it! I hope that you guys are excited for this as I am!**

* * *

 **Accepted Students:**

 **Males:**

 **1\. Shoma Hirano, Ultimate Gamer (Monikasbest)**

 **2\. Zettai Noseifuku, Ultimate Tactician (alucard** **deathsinger)**

 **3\. Rudolph Smirnov-Sakaguchij, Ultimate Horror Novelist (Shirasaur)**

 **4\. Tsuyoshi Genda, Ultimate Scientist (TheUbermenschWriter)**

 **5\. Katashi Koizumi, Ultimate Explosives Technician (Abitat Eco)**

 **6\. Itami Toyaku, Ultimate Patient (liammarklh88)**

 **7\. Ryuu Hagiwara, Ultimate Bounty Hunter (MasterSaixus)**

 **8\. Ryo Fujimoto, Ultimate Adventurer (oddlyillregular)**

 **Females:**

 **9\. Miyu Shimizu, Ultimate Genetic Engineer (Crimson Spider Lily)**

 **10\. Kotoko Moto, Ultimate Onomastician (TheRoseShadow21)**

 **11\. Misa Katsu, Ultimate Smuggler (me!)**

 **12\. Fujiko Ozawa, Ultimate Navigator (EagleWar097)**

 **13\. Satuski Enomoto, Ultimate Astronomer (Shirasaur)**

 **14\. Shouko Sakamura, Ultimate Robotics Engineer (dashunterman)**

 **15\. Sumire Aoshima, Ultimate Chess Grandmaster (Lupus Overkill)**

 **16\. Hoshina Kaminaga, Ultimate Psychologist (mayurie)**


	2. Prologue Part I

Sleep was a luxury. Stolen moments of calm and peace in between the running and the fighting and the arguing and the planning and the more running. A good night's sleep meant two things: that a job had actually gone right, and that she wouldn't be getting another one for a while.

Misa woke up like she always did: slowly, and cuddling a pillow against her chest. She stretched and turned over on her side before blinking her eyes open.

"Tetsu? You up ye…" she trailed off. This was definitely not the room that she had fallen asleep in. At all. For one, the walls were actually painted. Granted, it was a deep red color that only managed to make the narrow, rectangular room feel smaller, but it was still paint. As opposed to two singles, there was just the one queen bed that Misa was laying on. Add in a closet, a small desk with some kind of device on it, some shelves, and…

Misa sat up, squinting as she looked at the ceiling. Yep. That was definitely a camera. Someone was definitely watching her sleep then. Awesome. Not creepy at all. She waved at the camera before climbing out of the admittedly very comfortable bed. Something immediately felt wrong. She was too light. Her hands immediately moved to her hips, but hit nothing but air.

"You gotta be kidding me."

Her guns were missing. Her beautiful, precious babies, stolen right out of their holsters like babes from a crib. She flipped the blankets out of the way, hoping that maybe they had simply fallen out and were hiding, but no. They really were gone. A shudder ran up Misa's back. Yeah, rule one of kidnapping someone was that you made them vulnerable and defenseless, but she already desperately missed the comforting weight on her hips. Those were hers. You couldn't just _take_ them.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the gentle vibration of the Ship's engines underneath her feet. It was fine. She was fine. She would just have to find Tetsu, and they could make a plan. He was always good at that part. As if on cue, the device on her desk lit up with a soft _ping_. It was about the size of a phone, and had the word "Monopad" engraved on the top right corner.

" **Welcome, Misa Katsu!"** filled the screen with the number eleven directly under it.

"Thanks," she muttered as she picked it up and tapped the screen with her thumb. Four buttons appeared: Map, Profiles, Truth Bullets (whatever the hell that was), and Presents. The latter two were greyed out. "Let's go with… profiles."

A column of greyed out rectangles appeared as soon as Misa touched the button. Which was not very helpful. She had to scroll down a bit before coming to an entry. Hers. It was just her name and a picture of her face. Selecting the box gave a lot more information. It listed her Ultimate title, her height and weight, even the fact that she disliked people who had a stick shoved up their ass. There was also another picture that dominated the left side of the screen.

Misa was looking directly at the camera; posture loose and totally at ease, with just a hint of a smile on her face and a knowing glint in her blue eyes. That wasn't necessarily odd, although she couldn't quite remember when she had actually taken the picture. No, what was weird was that she was wearing the same exact things in the picture as she was right now. The same red tank top, the same dark blue jeans with the hole on her left knee, the same black leather holster sans guns, the same scuffed, black boots that gave her the extra two inches needed to reach six feet, the same leather jacket that was arguably three sizes too big for her lean, boyish frame. She reached her hand back to check to see if her hair matched as well. And, of course, it did. The tight braid was the only way that Misa could reliably tame the dark red tangles.

"Okay, now I'm creeped out," she said, turning her face towards the camera. "You hear me? Good job! Missions accomplished!" She exited back out and scrolled down the list of profiles some more. There were sixteen in total, although the rest were greyed out. She went to the map next. The camera on the top of the screen flickered on and began projecting a 3D model about six inches above the screen. That was… fancy. Holographic displays weren't really all that common on the market yet, legal or otherwise. Misa set the phone down in order to get a better look.

The projection was a perfect circle with four concentric rings. The innermost ring consisted of only one room that was labeled with the image of a showerhead. The next ring was broken up into sixteen equal parts, each labeled with a number that ranged from one to sixteen. Next was a narrow ring that Misa assumed was a hallway, and then the widest and outermost ring. This last ring consisted of ten rooms of varying sizes. Starting at the top of the circle and working clockwise, they were labeled with the head of a monochromatic bear, a fork and knife, a table with two chairs, the traditional symbol for a guy, the traditional symbol for a girl, a couch, some sort of machine with a lever, an art easel, a bubbling beaker, and finally a podium.

There were also sixteen glowing dots. Fifteen of them were yellow. Those were scattered about the circle, mostly grouped in twos or threes. But there was also one red dot that was in the room marked by an eleven. Misa assumed that that was her. Between the number on the Monopad when she booted it up, the placement of her profile on the list, and now the room number, it was pretty safe to assume that eleven belonged to her. But which one of those dots belonged to Tetsu? That was the real question. Because he was definitely one of those dots. He had to be. He had been sleeping not even six feet away from her. Whoever kidnapped her had to have taken him too.

Misa chewed her bottom lip for a moment before switching the Monopad off and slipping it into her back pocket. It would be hard to get lost inside of a circle, but it probably wouldn't hurt to have. She poked her head into the closet more out of curiosity than anything else. It was filled with at least fifteen replicas of exactly what she was wearing at the moment. Minus the shoes. For whatever reason, the only pair of shoes that Misa had were the ones currently on her feet. But even taking the shoes into account, the implication of having so many outfits was… worrying, to say the very least. Apparently, whoever put her here expected her to say awhile.

She closed the closet doors, paused, and then opened them again. She took one of the jackets off of the hanger at random and felt around the inside.

"What?" she whispered. The jacket was the exact replica of the one that she was currently wearing. Including all of the custom pockets and hidey-holes that she had sewed in. Including the ones that she hadn't told anyone about. Misa tossed the jacket onto the bed and grabbed another one. And then another one. Again and again until her bed was covered in leather jackets. They were all the same.

Okay. Okay, there was no real reason for her to freak out here. Whoever kidnapped her must have taken a look at her jacket. And then, you know, created a bunch of replicas in a ridiculously short timespan. Right. Because that was actually possible and definitely not crazy.

Misa rubbed her eyes, pressing hard enough to see starbursts. Okay. The map showed her where people were. She was going to go, find her guns, find Tetsu, and then the two of them could sit down and figure out what the hell was going on here. She nodded. Right. Good plan. A solid 7 out of 10, even. She took a moment to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes, first impressions were very important after all, and looked at the two doors on either end of her room. After a moment's hesitation, she picked the door on the right.

She forced a grin onto her face, and then tempered it so that it would be less "serial killer crazy" and hopefully be more "totally at ease and confident." Hopefully. It was hard to tell without a mirror. She opened the door and poked her head out, accidentally startling the two people on the other side of it.

"'Ello?"

* * *

 **Hello again. A fairly short chapter this time around. I mostly wanted to introduce our protagonist for this story, the lovely Misa, and also give people a better sense of my writing style. (And also raise visibility for this little project of mine.) Future chapters will probably end up being significantly longer.**

 **Remember, I'm still accepting OC submissions! The deadline to submit is** **Sunday, July 1st** **. I will be making my final cast decisions on that day. The form is in the first chapter and also on my profile page. As always, if you have any questions/comments/concerns, either leave me a review or send me a PM, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. I love answering questions. You will not be bothering me. Promise.**

 **If you've read this much, then tell me what you think of Misa! Do you like her? Do you not? I'm purposefully being a little coy about her talent, so what do you think it is? Do these questions seem like I'm fishing too much for feedback? Okay, maybe you don't have to answer that last one.**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Prologue Part II

**I am back, and I have a full, completed, wonderful cast. Thank you so much to everyone who sent me OCs! It was a super difficult decision, as they were all great. I only introduce about half of them in here. The next half will be in the next chapter, which should arrive... soon. Ish. Probably. But! If you want to see the full cast list, it is listed in the first chapter! And with that, on with the show!**

* * *

Misa's sudden appearance was greeted by a high-pitched shriek that made her wince. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," she said as she stepped further into the room. She kept one hand on the door in order to stop it from closing all the way behind her. Like the map had suggested, this was definitely a bathroom. It was one, giant circle, maybe thirty feet across. Four showers were set in a sunken portion of the blue tiled floor. There was a drain on one end of the section. A row of sinks with small, attached mirrors lined one side of the showers, while stalls that Misa assumed held toilets lined the other side. Sixteen doors were spaced equidistance along the wall, including the one that Misa had just entered from.

There also were two girls in the room. The shorter one, the one who shrieked, readjusted the pilot hat on her head.

"Nope, you're good!" she said, a bright smile suddenly lighting up her face. The other girl looked decidedly less impressed. She held a hand up to her ear.

"There was no need to shout," she said quietly. She turned her eyes on Misa. "Are you an Ultimate too?"

"Oh yeah! Me and Satsuki here just figured out that we're both Ultimates, so you got to be one too. What's your talent?"

"Who's to say I got one?" Misa asked, her hand tightening slightly on the door. This wasn't good. Misa waking up in a strange place with no idea how she got there? Yeah, okay, she could roll with that once she got her bearings. Misa waking up in a strange place that, odds are, are full of other Ultimates? Yeah, she had a feeling that this was going to be a bit more complicated.

The shorter girl's smile faded a little. "Well, it just makes sense, right? It would be really weird if it was just the two of us."

"Yeah, okay. I'm Misa Katsu. The Ultimate Smuggler."

* * *

 **Misa Katsu**

 **Ultimate Smuggler**

* * *

The two girls looked at Misa blankly for a few moments. She shrugged. "Hey, it's what I'm good at."

"I didn't think that they made criminals Ultimates," the taller girl said. What was she called? Satsuki? Misa was starting to doubt that she actually knew how to speak at a normal level. She was just so quiet.

"You don't know that. Maybe she smuggles stuff to people in need," the shorter girl said. Misa smiled, but said nothing. "Anyways, I'm Fujiko Ozawa! I like sailing, but, actually, I'm the Ultimate Navigator!"

* * *

 **Fujiko Ozawa**

 **Ultimate Navigator**

* * *

Fujiko was definitely on the shorter side, about seven inches shorter than Misa was. She didn't seem to be particularly stocky, but she certainly wasn't petite either. Her long, straight, brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail underneath the pilot hat. Her eyes were a rather pretty shade of dark blue, which complemented her blue sailor's uniform that also had orange detailing on the neckline and sleeves. Misa could just barely see what looked like fishnet arm warmers peeking out from under the sleeves. She got the feeling that those were supposed to be hidden.

"Wait, how can you like sailing?" Misa asked her. There were no large bodies of water on the Ship that she knew of. It would take up too much room.

"Well, I can't actually _do_ it," Fujiko admitted, "but I can still like it and wish that I could. And as soon as we get to a new planet, I'm going to own my own ship! The sailing kind, obviously."

"Obviously," Misa echoed. Her gaze slid over to the other girl. "And your name is Satsuki?" She nodded.

"Hello. I'm Satsuki Enomoto."

"And your talent is?"

Satsuki was silent for a moment or two. "I'm the Ultimate Astronomer."

* * *

 **Satsuki Enomoto**

 **Ultimate Astronomer**

* * *

Satsuki was the same height as Misa, although she was considerably thinner. Her red hair was styled into two very long, very curly pigtails. However, her facial features, like her mouth and nose, were quite small. Her brown eyes didn't really show much in way of emotion, although Misa could have gotten that from her general tone of voice. She wore a plain, grey hoodie over an A-line dress that fell to her knees and was patterned with different planets and galaxies. Practical, brown loafers completed the outfit. Small, delicate rings covered her fingers, but Misa was too far away to clearly see what they were. What was most striking, to her at least, was that Satsuki also had a pair of hearing aids.

However, despite any evidence to the contrary, Misa was not raised in a barn, and so decided to comment about something else instead. "Wow, an astronomer. That must make this place basically perfect for you."

"I haven't seen any windows here yet," Satsuki told her.

"I meant the Ship in general. Since it's always moving, there's always new stuff to see and discover."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Annnnnd… now it was awkward. Fujiko looked between the two of them, but Misa cut her off before the navigator could say anything.

"Well, nice meeting you, but I'm gonna go look around for a bit."

"Okay! That's probably a good plan," Fujiko said. Misa nodded and waved over her shoulder as she ducked back inside her room, closing the door behind her with a satisfying _click_. She leaned against it and briefly closed her eyes. Okay, so if the pattern held, then all of these people, all of the dots that she saw on the map, would be Ultimates. That thought was more than enough to tie her stomach up into knots.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It did absolutely nothing to make her feel better. She pulled her Monopad out of her pocket in order to check the map, but paused she noticed the small notification on the Profiles app. Huh. Interesting. She tapped it, frowning when the first couple of entries were still blank. She scrolled down further.

"Numbers Twelve and Thirteen, Fujiko and Satsuki," she muttered under her breath. Apparently, this updated automatically once she met people. She didn't notice any cameras in the bathroom, though, which is probably a good thing now that she thought about it, because that would be freaking creepy. She flicked her Monopad off and slipped it back into her pocket. Time to go see if she could go find Number Fourteen. Or any number, really. She wasn't all that picky.

The door on the other end of her room, predictably, dumped Misa out into a hallway. Like Satsuki had said, there was not a single window in sight. Just cameras and lights that made her skin look pale and sickly. The walls were made of a smooth, single piece of metal. There were no grooves or seams of any kind. That wasn't necessarily that uncommon, but it was usually a sign that she had accidentally wandered into the _very_ nice section of the Ship.

She was about to head into the room directly across the hall from hers when a small, pastel blur barreled out of the room and almost knocked her over. Misa grabbed the blur by the elbow and spun him around to face her.

"Would you be careful?" she asked, looking down at the honestly adorable boy she had managed to catch. He was a thin and scrawny thing, no taller than 5'3, and obviously had some kind of foreign blood in him. Big, green eyes dominated his narrow face. He grinned up at Misa as he pushed black, shoulder-length hair off his face.

"Oh, hello! I'm Rudolph! Rudolph Smirnov-Sakaguchi! I like to write horror novels! Sorry for almost running into you! It's nice to meet you! What's your name?"

* * *

 **Rudolph Smirnov-Sakaguchi**

 **Ultimate Horror Novelist**

* * *

Misa let go of him and gestured to lower the volume a little. If Satsuki was too quiet, then Rudolph was almost certainly too enthusiastic.

"Misa Katsu. I… like to smuggle things?"

"Wait, really? That's really cool! I've never met a real live smuggler before!"

"Does that mean you've met a dead one?" Misa asked with a small grin. All she got was a confused look in response. "Right. Bad joke. Um, okay, sorry, kinda rude question here, but how old are you exactly?" Seriously, this kid looked and acted like he was twelve. His clothing choice certainly didn't help matters either. The short sleeve, pastel yellow, button down shirt, complete with an embroidered cactus, the pair of light blue shorts with buttons on the side, and the cinnamon roll backpack with eyes (okay, that part was a little creepy) made him look like one of those children in a spring fashion catalog that Mom had always wanted her to emulate.

"Sixteen! Yeah, I get that look a lot. It's not just you!"

"That's good? I guess," Misa said, finally letting go of his elbow.

"Oh! Have you seen the art room yet? I can't really draw all that well, but it's really cool! Come look!" Now it was Rudolph that was holding onto Misa as he rather insistently led her into the room that he had just come running out of. She had to admit, it was pretty neat.

A trio of easels was set up around a small podium. It was empty for the moment, but Misa assumed that artists could put objects there for still-life references. On the far side of the room was a row of long tables, surrounded by stools. Shelves lined the walls, filled with brightly colored paper, canvases, planks of wood, bins clearly marked with the word "Clay," and every kind of pencil or paint that Misa could imagine. In the back corner was a power saw, probably for messing with the wood.

"Huh. I really hope we got an Ultimate Artist then," she said. "Otherwise, this will kinda be wasted." Tetsu would love this place. She would have to show it to him if she ever found him. When she found him. When.

"Well, you don't have to be an artist to draw!" Rudolph told her, tugging on her hand. "Anyone can enjoy it!" Misa repeated the gesture for him to tone it down. "Sorry!"

The pair went back into the hall, and Rudolph bolted down one direction. Deciding that that was way too much energy right when she woke up, she headed in the opposite direction, moving counter-clockwise around the circle.

Each of the bedrooms had a number on it, each painted a different color. There was no nameplate or any other indication of whom the room was assigned to. Which really just made her life more difficult. So inconsiderate. When she found who designed this place…

The next room on her right held, among many, many other things, two people, a guy and a girl. They were huddled over a display case, blocking whatever was in it from view. They gave no indication that they had heard her arrive, so Misa took the time to scope out the place.

The room was packed to the brim with plastic display cases. Each held a different item, ranging from duct tape, to some kind of candy bar, to the action figurine of some stupid science fiction movie that had existed back when Earth was still a thing. Each display was connected to a colored tube that fed into an open box. To the right of the box was some kind of slot machine. You inserted a coin and pulled the lever and… presumably something happened? There was a stool in front of the machine to sit on.

Misa still had no idea what the room was actually for by the time she turned her attention to the two people. The guy made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but recent years had taught her to move very quickly in the opposite direction of guys like that. He was only two inches shorter than she was, but obviously had more muscle mass. He had long, brown hair that reached his chin and yellow eyes. There was a vertical scar over his right one. His outfit was actually fairly similar to Misa's. He had a black jacket over a brown undershirt with black pants. And he had an empty gun holster. So, criminal or law enforcement then. Misa really wasn't sure which she preferred.

The girl with him was about the same height as the guy, maybe an inch shorter at most. Still, her posture made her seem all that more imposing, despite her very slim build. Her dark purple hair fell straight down to her mid-back. Bangs covered her forehead. She was fairly pretty, with a heart-shaped face and high cheekbones, but something about her felt too sharp to Misa. Maybe it was the way that her mouth fell into a natural smirk as she listened to the guy talk. Or maybe it was the power outfit that Misa would never be able to pull off in a million years. The girl wore a black blazer with a white turtleneck sweater. A necklace with a black jewel rested on her chest. Her black, A-line skirt rested just above the top of her purple boots.

Misa's observations were interrupted by a single sentence, "If only I could get to those guns."

"What did you just say?" she demanded, all but running over to the pair. "Move."

"Da fuck are you?" the guy asked, but Misa ignored him. There, in a display case, were her babies. She pressed on the glass, but she might as well be pressing against a metal wall. "Ya deaf or just stupid?" the guy asked. Again, Misa ignored him. She looked around the room, eye settling on the stool.

"I do believe that we should take a few steps back," the girl said, instantly catching on to what Misa was about to do. "Now, perhaps?" The pair quickly got out of the way as Misa grabbed the stool and swung it towards the display case. It made a pretty satisfying sound as it hit it, but instead of going through the case, it merely bounced off. Misa leaned down to see what damage she inflicted; absent-mindedly rolling her shoulder that got wrenched in the process.

"Oh, come on!" There wasn't even a scratch. She banged on the case with her fist. "Just give me back my guns!"

"Those are your weapons?" the girl asked. Misa turned to face them.

"Pretty sure that's what I said, yeah."

"That's pretty fucking awesome," the guy said, nodding his head at her holster. "Love a girl who can take care of herself." Misa grinned, on reflex more than anything genuine.

"Can't trust anyone else to do it for me," she said. "Yours get stolen too?"

"What do ya – "

"Actually, he was just telling me how his greatest dream was to have a gun of his very own," the girl interrupted, hiding her smile behind her hand. "But where are my manners? I am Sumire Aoshima, the Ultimate Chess Grandmaster, one of the best players ever to be seen, I would say."

* * *

 **Sumire Aoshima**

 **Ultimate Chess Grandmaster**

* * *

The guy stood up straighter, his face a touch redder than it was a few seconds ago. "So what? I'm the best Bounty Hunter in the universe." He paused for a second. "Or at least on this ship. Call me Ryuu Hagiwara, kid."

* * *

 **Ryuu Hagiwara**

 **Ultimate Bounty Hunter**

* * *

Momentarily ignoring the fact that Misa was ninety percent sure that she was older than Ryuu, his talent was possibly one of the worst things possible. She didn't even want to consider the price that was on her head, or the kinds of people who put it there.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna tell you my talent then. I'm Misa, though. Nice to meet you, bye!"

It probably only made her look that much more suspicious, but she had already made a hasty, totally tactical retreat back into the hall by the time that thought registered. At least Ryuu wasn't chasing after her. She really couldn't deal with that at the moment. But now she knew where her guns were, which was good. Granted, she didn't know how to get to them, which was _less_ good, but it was a start.

Misa trailed her fingers along the outside wall as she walked. The door to the next room felt farther away that it should have. It nudged something in the back of her mind, and she made a mental note to follow up on it later when she wasn't busy with the meet and greets. Seriously, this would be so much more efficient if everybody just gathered in one room, stood in a big circle, and introduced themselves like they used to do on the first day of school.

"Ello?" she called out as she entered the next room. There was another pair in here as well, a guy and girl sitting on one of the couches in the corner. This was apparently some kind of lounge or hang out area. There were a bunch of couches and chairs arranged in a vaguely circular shape. Misa eyed the far right wall, quickly calculating the length of the room. Yeah, okay. Her hunch might be right then.

"Hello, are you exploring this place too?" the girl asked with a gentle smile. Misa relaxed a little. Good, she wasn't dealing with another Ryuu, or even another Rudolph.

"Yeah, you know, just making the rounds. Or round, I guess, technically speaking. I'm Misa Katsu, the uh, Ultimate Smuggler."

"Oh, my. That sounds…"

"Illegal?"

"Exciting," she decided upon. Her smile never once wavered from her face. "My name is Hoshina Kaminaga, the Ultimate Psychologist. I don't mind whatever you call me with, though just 'Hoshina' is fine. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can become friends!"

* * *

 **Hoshina Kaminaga**

 **Ultimate Psychologist**

* * *

Misa wasn't quite sure if "friends" was necessarily going to happen here, but the sentiment was nice either way. Hoshina was tiny, easily more than a foot shorter than Misa, and had a child-like build to match. Her long, soft, pink hair reached down her back and was a few shades lighter than the color of her eyes. Or eye. A white medical eye patch covered the right one. Hoshina's clothing was appropriately girly. She wore a white, lace blouse with long sleeves over a black, pleated skirt that flowed down to her knees. Black tights covered her legs. Her shoes were a pair of bubblegum pink wedges, which only meant that she was even shorter than Misa first thought. A light blue caplet that reached her waist completed the outfit, and hid what looked to be a dream catcher necklace.

Still, Hoshina didn't feel childish by any means. There was a sense of maturity hanging around the girl. She probably would have to be, given her profession.

"Let me guess. Your room is pink?" Misa asked.

"Ah, yes. It seems like whoever brought us here took our preferences into account. I find that comforting," Hoshina said.

"Yeah, I find it kinda creepy. Besides, I don't think red is supposed to help you sleep at night."

"That is true. I can see how that would be an issue." Her smile faded for a moment as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. It returned again just as quickly.

"What about you?" Misa asked, turning her attention to the guy who had so far been silent this entire conversation. "What's your color?" His eyes never left the handheld device in his hands. "Hello?" Still nothing. "Dude, I know you can hear me. Your headphones are only covering one ear."

"I got the same reaction," Hoshina said.

"You mean no reaction," Misa muttered.

The guy was of average height, and honestly looked like crap. He was incredibly pale and skinny enough that Misa questioned when the last time he had some food was. He probably hadn't slept recently, if the bags under his dark eyes were anything to go by. His hair was messy and unkempt with several grey and white streaks in it. It looked like he was wearing some kind of private school uniform, although his tie was loose and crooked and he had a ratty, blue hoodie on.

Misa crouched down so that she could be eyelevel with him. "Alright, just give me your name and I'll leave you alone. You see, I got this sheet on my Monopad and I'm juuuuust neurotic enough that I need to fill the whole thing." He lifted his eyes to hers and Misa sucked in a breath. It felt like he could rip away any walls that she had built and see who she was at her core with a single thought. She held his gaze. She had to.

"Shoma Hirano," he said flatly.

"Talent? Everyone here has one."

He looked down at the device in his hands like it should be obvious. "Gamer."

* * *

 **Shoma Hirano**

 **Ultimate Gamer**

* * *

"Right. I should have gotten it from the – okay." Misa stood up again, wincing as her knees cracked.

"Off to continue your rounds?" Hoshina asked her.

"Yeah, I might as well." She hesitated for moment. "Do you want to come with, or something?" She would extend that invitation to Shoma, but he was already absorbed in his game again. Not that he would accept it anyways. In fact, this might give Hoshina the opportunity to get away.

"No, that's alright. Thank you!"

"Sure thing. See ya around!"

"Good bye!"

Misa left the lounge with a wave and continued her circle. Judging from her map, she had almost completed half of it. The bathrooms were next up. She doubted that there was anyone in them, but she liked being thorough. Each was adorned with either a blue or pink symbol, clearly marking who was supposed to go into them. The girls' bathroom was fairly standard. It was just a row of toilets opposite of a row of sinks with a mirror. There was a door at the far end that revealed a small janitor's closet, complete with a mop and bucket, cleaning supplies, and extra toilet paper. So it looked like they had two spots then: these and the shower room. Good to know.

She went back into the hall and paused at the entrance to the guy's bathroom. She could just poke her head in, right? Just to make sure that they were identical? See, this was where she needed her partner. So that she didn't have to… yeah, okay this train of thought was getting a little weird. Shaking her head, she opened the door and stuck her head in. Her heart leapt into her throat.

"Te - !"

No, wait. It wasn't him. Tetsu didn't have a beauty mark on the top left of his lip, nor did he have dark red eyes. The stranger raised an eyebrow and dismissed her with a look.

"Do you mind?"

Rebellion rose up inside Misa at his tone, but… this was technically the guy's bathroom. She smiled sweetly at him and shut door. She took up a post against the wall directly across from the door and waited, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets. Further down the hall, raised voices broke out into an argument. That would be fun to walk into in a few minutes. Maybe she could skip that room…

The bathroom door opened and Not Tetsu walked out. Misa settled further against the wall and grinned. "Hi there. Sorry, thought you were someone else."

Now that she got a chance to look at him, he was actually really good-looking. Well, of course he was considering whom she initially mistook him for. He was taller than her by about an inch. His ash white hair was combed back neatly away from his diamond-shaped face. And he wore his business suit well. It consisted of black pants and shirt with a crimson blazer and blood red tie. There was a silver chain visible peeking out of his blazer pocket, but Misa couldn't see what it was attached to.

"Yes, I'm sure that was the case."

Wow. Misa didn't realize that someone could pack that much disdain into so few words. It was almost impressive. "Hey man, believe what you want. I'm Misa Katsu, by the way."

"I don't really care."

"No? Not even a little, tiny bit? I'm hurt."

"Right, I forgot how the Ship revolves around the feelings of the unimportant," he said dryly. It was enough to surprise a laugh out of Misa.

"Wow," she said, drawing out the word so that it had no less than six syllables. "Anybody ever tell you that you're kinda an asshole?"

"Only kind of?" he asked as he began walking in the direction that she had come from.

You're not going to tell me your name?" she called after him. "You keep walking, I'm just going to make something up!"

He kept walking.

"Alright then, fine, Bathroom Buddy," she grumbled. She sighed and leaned her head against the wall. Guess she might as well go see why people were yelling at each other. At least it had died down by now.

* * *

 **And that's the end of this chapter. See? I told you they would get longer. Hopefully I've done all of the characters justice so far, honestly that's probably one of the scariest parts of writing this. As always, let me know what you think! I'm really curious what characters people like or dislike.**

 **Until next time!~**


	4. Prologue Part III

**Hello everyone, and welcome back! We're finishing the introductions today! Isn't that exciting? But before we get to that, I'm going to do review replies.**

 **TheRoseShadow12: It seems like we have a lot of people on the Rudi Protection Squad! He is very adorable. I'm glad that you've picked up on the details that I've been putting in so far, and I hope that you like what I've done with your girl. :)**

 **oddlyillregular: Haha reviewing is not a contest! I love each and every one that I get, don't worry. It's really interesting hearing your analysis of the different characters. I know my own opinions and it's always fun to see which match and which don't. Ryo is coming!**

 **TheUbermenschWriter: You're welcome, thanks for sending him! :) I'm really glad that you're** **liking this so far!**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: It is a curse. The dreaded Second Chapter Curse. :) As for the numbers and colors, _maybe_ they mean something. _Maybe_ you'll learn all the colors. Who can say? Definitely not me. Who the hell is writing this thing? Also, thanks for your feedback! I admittedly didn't quite take it to heart just yet, but that was mostly in the interest of fairness to all of the characters. But I'm really glad that you're enjoying it so far! :)**

 **MasterSaixus: Thanks! I'm glad to hear that I'm doing him justice! Hopefully you'll continue to like what I'm doing. Not that I have any nefarious plans or anything. Definitely not.**

 **alucard deathsinger: Yeah, that last guy was definitely a jerk. Who the hell would make a character like that anyway? ;) Rudolph does seem to be an early favorite. Him and Fujiko. But yeah, I'm already kind of dreading the first case. I'm already so attached to everyone!**

 **Shirasaur: AAAAH! I'm glad! Haha Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm really glad that you're happy with everything so far!**

* * *

"How _dare_ you use such disrespect in my presence! My robot army shall obliterate you for this!"

"Please no," Misa muttered, paused in front of a half-opened door. Through the gap in the doorway, she could see one half of a long dining table surrounded by chairs with a very high back. Gorgeous chandeliers hung from the ceiling. It was hard to tell from this distance, but they didn't look synthetic. An open arch in the back corner led to what Misa could only assume was the kitchen.

And that quick look was more than enough for her. Misa could deal with a lot. Hell, she had been since she woke up. But she really didn't have the patience to deal with a girl yelling about robots in a fake, stereotypical German accent. Hopefully the accent was fake. Regardless, those two sentences told her everything she needed to know. Hell, the girl would probably call her something like 'Minion.' She was nobody's minion.

"Noooooooo! I'm sorry! Don't obliterate me!" a high-pitched, male voice yelled. It actually sounded like he was taking her threat seriously.

Yep. She was just going to walk right past that one. But then Misa made the mistake of continuing to look through the doorway as she walked past, and caught the eye of a guy holding a brown teddy bear with a red ribbon around its neck. He was of average height, definitely too tall to be a child, and was a little bit on the chubby side. His skin was very pale, which made the small scar on his left cheek stand out that much more and the white bandages around his neck and arms to stand out that much less. He had short, messy black hair that really needed to be brushed and sleepy grey eyes. He had on a grey, short sleeved T-shirt with a picture of an anime girl with long, choppy brown hair dressed in a nurse's outfit on the front, baggy, black track pants with a white line on either side, and adorable, light blue bunny slippers on his feet. Around his shoulders was a blue and white hospital gown that had been altered to look like a cape.

His eyes widened, and while Misa was pretty awful at lip reading, it was clear that he was asking for help. And he wasn't really subtle about it either because the German Robot Lady saw him.

"Halt! Who tries to sneak up on the Iron Maiden?"

Misa glared at him, causing the poor guy to shrink back a little in fear, and stepped fully into the dining hall. "Iron Maiden? Is that like, your pro wrestling name or something?" she asked.

"Your ignorance is astounding! I am none other than DOKTOR Shouko Sakamura!" She pointed very dramatically at the ceiling. "My skills in robotics will make God Himself tremble! GYAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

 **Doktor(?) Shouko Sakamura**

 **Ultimate Robotics Engineer**

* * *

The good doctor stood a solid seven inches shorter than Misa. Although she was pretty skinny, she still had a decent sized bust. Not that Misa was staring. Because she wasn't. She was just admiring the gear-shaped buttons on her brown vest. Yep. Anyways! Shouko's black hair was done in long twintails that reached several inches past her shoulders. Her green eyes peered out from behind cooper, wire-frame glasses. On the left side of the frame were multiple magnifying lenses that could be rotated into view. Underneath the already mentioned vest was a white shirt, a knee-length black skirt, and black ankle boots with a bit of a heel. Over everything was a white lab coat.

"Uh huh," Misa said, which earned a very sour look from Shouko. "Yeah, no, I'm sure that you're very – okay, what the hell!" Her hand dropped to her waist, fingers curling around nothing but air where comforting metal should be. The third person in the room, another boy, had walked up to Misa while she was busy dealing with Shouko and started circling her and… sniffing her?

"You smell like a cornered animal, like you're puffing out your chest to make it seem like you're tougher than you actually are," he said. It was the same high-pitched voice that answered earlier, the one who had "disrespected" Shouko. He took a cautious step back. "You're scary. Not like her. She's just scared."

Scary? Eh, she'd been called worse. Scary wasn't the worst thing to be. But Shouko bristled at that, and started yelling again. Misa immediately tuned her out and pointed at the guy who had gotten her into this mess to begin with. He was trying to sneak by and escape.

"Name and talent," Misa stated. He froze, eyes wide and scared despite his sleepy and sluggish appearance. Honestly, the poor kid just radiated anxiety. In any other place, Misa might have taken mercy on him, but Shouko was still yelling.

"Itami Toyaku… U-Ultimate Patient. Wh-what a joke, I know."

* * *

 **Itami Toyaku**

 **Ultimate Patient**

* * *

"Patient like a hospital and doctors patient? Or patient like you have a lot of it?" she asked.

"The f-first one," Itami said, holding his teddy bear tighter to his chest. Misa frowned. How could someone be the best patient ever? Sure, Misa was a terror when she got hurt and Tetsu was a saint for dealing with her, but being a good patient didn't seem like the kind of thing that they gave out Ultimate titles for. Unless it was just a shorthand for something else?

"Oh, are we doing the names thing?" the other boy asked. Apparently, Shouko had decided to stop yelling and was now looking at the trio with her hands fisted on her hips. "Those are usually needed. I am Ryo Fujimori, the Ultimate Adventure."

* * *

 **Ryo Fujimori**

 **Ultimate Adventurer**

* * *

Ryo was pretty short for a guy, standing no taller than 5'4". But for once, Misa wasn't looking at a scrawny, little thing. No, he was a muscled, little thing with tanned skin that must have spent a lot of time under an artificial sun. Like Itami, he had short, messy hair. His yellow eyes had a certain cat-like appearance. Misa couldn't decide if it made him look cute or unnerving. Clothing wise, Ryo wore a white T-Shirt that had had its sleeves cut off with an orange, sleeveless jacket vest over that. He also had on beige shorts and brown hiker boots. A giant, brown backpack with various patches was slung over his shoulder.

"Misa Katsu, the Ultimate Smuggler. Guess I hadn't said that yet." The reactions to her talent were actually far more subdued than she was expecting. Shouko sniffed, as if such a thing was beneath her, Itami still looked like he wanted to bolt, and Ryo bobbed his head excitedly.

"Yeah, that sounds right! Like an alley cat that slinks around and stuff! Oh, wait, that was meant to be nice. I promise."

"Thanks then?"

"Will none of you show me the proper respect? Such worthless minions."

Annnnnnd there's the 'minion' calling. Misa was waiting to see when that would happen. She caught Itami's eye and tilted her head towards the hall. He quickly nodded.

"In that case, why don't Itami and me find you some better ones," Misa said, flashing the robotics engineer a smile. "I promise, they'll be properly awed by… all of this. And you."

"Hm. I shall hold you to that, minion. Do not disappoint me!" Shouko declared. Misa was already heading out the door, Itami by her side. He smiled weakly once they were safely in the hall.

"Thanks. She t-trapped, no, um, she c-c-cornered me."

"Don't worry about it," Misa said, shaking her head. "She seems…" Let's be nice here. "Intense. You wanna walk with me for a bit?"

"I'll go to my room if that's okay," Itami said, pointing to the door across from the bathrooms. A bright white number six hung on it.

"You got an all white room? That kinda sucks."

He wasn't really wearing any white though. So far, the colors seemed to be associated with what people wore or looked like. She had red hair and a red shirt, Hoshina had pink eyes and hair… but that logic, Itami should be black or grey. So why was he white instead?

Misa waited until Itami entered his room and shut the door behind him before continuing around her circle. There was a fairly long unbroken stretch hallway before she came to the next outer room. Or rather the next outer doorway. Judging from the way that the girl standing in front of it was shaking the damn thing, Misa guessed that it was probably locked.

"Freaking, stupid door." She rounded on Misa. "Did you know that this is the only locked door in this whole place? The only one. This is our way out. It has to be."

"No way it's that simple," Misa told her, tilting her head to study the door more closely. It was massive, easily eight feet across and reaching from floor to ceiling. One half of the door was bright white, the other half pitch black. There was a single, red doorknob. "It would be too easy to break down one door. Especially one that looks like it was made of wood."

"Do you have a better idea?"

She did, actually, but she wanted to look into it more before talking about it to a random stranger. Instead, she grinned, spinning around to lean against the door. "So I guess you've explored this whole place already? That was quick."

"You're avoiding my question!"

"Yep."

The girl narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at Misa. "Fine. Be that way."

"I will," Misa told her, her grin widening. "I'm Misa, by the way. Misa Katsu, the Ultimate Smuggler."

"Of course you are, " the girl said, although she actually didn't sound accusatory or anything like that. If anything, she was amused. "I'm Miyu Shimizu, Ultimate Genetic Engineer. All things considered, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

* * *

 **Miyu Shimizu**

 **Ultimate Genetic Engineer**

* * *

Honestly, it was a pleasure to meet her too. Miyu was of average height with a slender build. Her round face was dusted with faint freckles. Long, voluminous, peach colored hair fell in loose curls six inches past her shoulders. Her grey eyes were framed by long, dark lashes. She wore deep blue lipstick that matched the cuffs and collar of her dress shirt. The rest of the shirt was pale blue with an understated koi and water ripples pattern. She had rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. The bottom of the shirt was tucked into high-waisted faux leather shorts. Deep blue, high-heeled ankle boots finished the outfit off.

"Are the things being considered the fact that we woke up here with no idea where we are, or is it the fact that I didn't answer your question?" Misa asked. Miyu tapped a finger against her lips as she thought.

"Both is a very valid option here. Can I choose it?"

"Well, I mean – "

Misa was interrupted by the crackling of static. She looked up at the ceiling on instinct, her shoulders creeping up around her ears. The voice that echoed through the air sounded like it belonged on a cartoon, one that was far too scary for its target audience and scarred a generation of kids instead of being friendly and happy.

"Ahem! Attention, Ultimates! Please proceed to the auditorium immediately for orientation! And that goes for everyone. So nobody better try and skip out, _Number One._ "

The two girls looked at each other. Misa slowly relaxed her shoulders. "You been to the auditorium yet?" she asked. Miyu nodded.

"Yeah, it's just one room over." A short pause. "I guess we should head over now?"

"He did say immediately," Misa said. Still, they didn't quite move just yet. It was hard to explain, but Misa just couldn't shake the feeling that going to the auditorium would be a very, very bad idea. But the auditorium would hold answers, and the rest of the people gathered here, and hopefully Tetsu. Definitely Tetsu. Even if all evidence pointed to the fact that he wouldn't be there. After all, everyone she'd met so far had been an Ultimate. The thought caused her heart to rise in her throat, but she shoved it down. Now was not the time to freak out.

She frowned and pulled out her Monopad, tapping on the Profiles tab. Listed under the first entry as Shoma Hirano, the Ultimate Gamer. Yeah, okay, that made a certain amount of sense then. He definitely seemed to be the kind of guy to be so checked out of the world that he wouldn't listen to an announcement. But to be called out by name? Or, well, number in this case?

"Aren't you coming?"

"What?" Misa shook her head and looked up from her Monopad. Miyu had already started walking. "Yeah, I'm right behind you."

The auditorium was already half full by the time they got there. The room itself wasn't really anything special. It could have been a part of any high school and not looked out of place. A stage ran the length of the far wall with a single podium standing in the center of it. Facing the stage were sixteen folding chairs set up in a four by four block.

The first row was already almost full. Rudolph was talking animatedly with Fujiko, with Satsuki quietly listening next to them. Others milled around in groups of two or three, their voices a low murmur. Sumire and Ryuu were still together, standing a little off to the side and watching the podium. Hoshina and Itami sat together in the back row. Good. He needed someone a bit on the calmer side. And Shoma was sitting by himself in the corner, attention focused on his game.

Misa said goodbye to Miyu and approached the group of three that she didn't recognize. It was comprised of two guys and a girl, all of whom were pretty short. Misa was starting to feel like a giant.

"Well, are you sure that it'll be safe?" the girl asked, hands fiddling with the ends of her jumper.

She was the tallest of the three, but only by about an inch. There was just enough baby fat still on her face to make her look childlike. Her hair was light blue with some pale pink and turquoise streaks that looked like they were dyed in, and was pulled back into two, low, slightly messy ponytails tied with white ribbon. Whatever hair couldn't fit into the ponytails has swept to the side and kept in place with a few hair clips that were decorated either with flowers or cat faces. Her wide, blue eyes looked at the two boys anxiously. Besides her light grey jumper, the girl wore a strapless dress that reached just above her knees. It was checkered in various shades of pink and purple, had sequins around the neckline and hem, and had a dark purple ribbon sash that was tied in an elaborate bow in the front. She also had a pair of those tights that made it look like there were cat faces on your knees. Overall, she was very girly and adorable.

"Oh, yeah! You're looking at the professional here. Nothing goes boom until I want it to," the first guy said with the upmost confidence. His voice was a little bit louder than the volume that most people talk at when having a normal conversation.

"And I can whip something up to help in case someone does get hurt. Just in case," the second guy said. He seemed to have better luck at comforting the girl. Apparently, claims to professionalism don't mean much when you're talking about booms.

"Ugh, I already told you! I have the highest safety rating possible! Nobody has every gotten hurt because of me… Um, well, okay nobody _else_. But you are all perfectly safe."

"Okay, I'm sorry, but what the hell are you guys talking about?" Misa asked. All three of them immediately smiled at her. Wow. Definitely a friendly bunch here.

"We were all exploring the science lab together," the girl explained. "It was very well stocked with all of these chemicals."

"Yeah, chemicals that we can use!" the first guy said as he briefly slipped his hand into his pocket. "Both of us." The other boy nodded. "But New Person! Great to meet you! Let's shake hands and make this an official proper greeting~"

He held out his hand to shake. Alright, easy enough. But just before Misa grabbed his hand, the girl spoke up.

"Wait! He's going to shock you. That's what he did to me."

"Kotoko!" He pouted, but raised his hand to show off the joy buzzer hidden in his palm. "She was totally going to fall for that too! Ughhhhh. Why'd you have to ruin my joke?"

"Well I appreciate it," Misa said, smiling at the girl. "He said that your name is Kotoko?"

"Yes. I'm Kotoko… Moto. Pleased to meet you. I'm the Ultimate Onomastician. That means someone who studies names – I work over on the Ship Archives doing that. Umm… have you ever visited the Archives?"

* * *

 **Kotoko Moto**

 **Ultimate Onomastician**

* * *

"Those are on A Deck, right? Yeah, I never quite manage to get up that high," Misa said with a shrug. A deck, and B Deck for that matter, was all smooth lines and beautiful areas that maximized how much useable, open space there was. It was all very pretty to look at, but absolutely useless when you made your living in the hidden spaces that most people forget about, the narrow corridors between walls that shouldn't exist.

"Is it my turn now?" Joy Buzzer asked. "I'm Katashi Koizumi, but just call me Kat, whatever you prefer. I have a pretty _explosive_ career." He couldn't help but giggle at his own pun. "Quite fitting because I'm the Ultimate Explosives Technician! I can make things go _boom_ and _swoosh_ better than anyone! Even if my joke didn't quite work, I know we'll be good friends!"

* * *

 **Katashi Koizumi**

 **Ultimate Explosives Technician**

* * *

Kat stood just under 5'4," and had a light, agile build. His face was quite angular, with a pointed chin and thin, curved eyebrows. Brown freckles stood out against his sandy complexion. Unsurprisingly, his light green, almond shaped eyes sparkled with mischief. His hair was styled quite messily, almost resembling a fireball in its general shape and color, with irregular spikes sticking out in every direction. He also had a very familiar tattoo, the black outline of a flying dove, on his right forearm. Misa couldn't quite remember where she had seen it before, but she knew that she had _somewhere_. Regarding his clothing, Kat had a scarlet, sleeveless vest shirt that had obviously seen better days. It was tattered, with a few cuts and rips and randomly placed smears of black and grey ash. He also had a pair of light grey shorts, secured by a brown belt with a buckle that resembled a stick of dynamite. And yes, those were stained with ash too. The pockets bulged with what Misa assumed where tools that he used for his talent. High, light blue socks decorated with a flame pattern reached his knees, leaving just enough space to show that Kat had two, metal prosthetic legs from the knee down. On his left wrist, he had a bracelet with a cross charm, and on his right was a brown, digital watch. A canvas backpack sat at his feet.

"Hey, kinda a weird question, but did I every do a job for you?" Misa asked. "Something about you feels familiar."

"A job? I dunno, what do you do?" Kat asked, screwing up his features in thought.

"Oh, right! Sorry, I swear it feels like I've introduced myself a million times today," Misa said. "I'm the Ultimate Smuggler, Misa Katsu."

It took Kat a second too long to start shaking his head. "Nah. What would I need a smuggler for? Heh. I'm an official government employee and all that."

"You say that like some of my best customers haven't been from the Leadership."

"And you don't get worried about that?" the second boy asked. Honestly, he was so short that Misa just kinda looked over him. Seriously, he was a solid foot shorter than her. Someone needed to give these kids some fertilizer. "They haven't tried to turn you in or anything?

"Nope. They'd just be hurting themselves. And they maybe, possibly know that if one of their friends screws me over, I'm bringing all of them down with me. They mostly just police themselves. But anyway, your name is?"

"Oh, well, the name's Genda. Tsuyoshi Genda. I'm the Ultimate Scientist."

* * *

 **Tsuyoshi Genda**

 **Ultimate Scientist**

* * *

Tsuyoshi looked up at her with a smile, absently rubbing some black soot from his jaw and only succeeding in spreading it further up his face. He looked like he could have stuck his face in a chimney. Light blue eyes stood out in stark contrast to the mess of soot. His light brown hair was held back off his face with a pair of cracked and dirty safety goggles that probably didn't provide much safety. He wore a white lab coat, dotted with chemical stains of various colors, that covered up a plain blue T-shirt and black jean shorts. A pair of green rubber gloves completed the look.

"Isn't Scientist a little broad?" Misa asked. "I remember there being a lot of different sciences."

"It is. But I do medical research, mostly. A lot of chemistry."

"You met Itami yet? He's the Ultimate Patient or whatever."

Tsuyoshi's eyes widened. "No, but I've heard of him! He's advanced medicine by years!" Misa pointed towards where he was sitting, immediately feeling a little guilty about doing so. "I'm going to go introduce myself."

Basically everyone had arrived at this point, except for one person. Misa grinned as he walked through the door and spread her arms out wide. "Bathroom Buddy!" Kat snickered, turning it into a cough when Bathroom Buddy glared at them. Actually, most of the room was staring at them now that Misa took a second to look around. Kotoko decided that this was the proper moment to slip away and retreat to a safe distance.

"What did you just call me?" Bathroom Buddy demanded. Misa clasped her hands behind her back.

"I told you that I'd just make up a nickname if you didn't tell me your real one. You were warned." He kept glaring at her. "Come on, you know that I could have made it much, much worse."

"I'm so grateful," he said dryly. He sighed heavily. "Fine, since I sincerely doubt you'll stop otherwise, my name is Zettai Noseifuku. You may know me as the Ultimate Tactician."

* * *

 **Zettai Noseifuku**

 **Ultimate Tactician**

* * *

Misa did actually recognize the name. You'd have to be living under a rock not to. But that didn't mean that she had to give Zettai the satisfaction of admitting that he was right. "Yes, very impressive. Especially compared everyone else here."

"Yo, when da fuck is this thing getting started?" Ryuu suddenly yelled out. It was more than enough to silence any conversations that were still ongoing. "We've been sitting here forever."

He was right. It had been awhile since the announcement, and everyone was here. All sixteen of them. And no Tetsu. Misa swallowed thickly and pulled her braid over her shoulder. They had been sleeping in the same room. Whoever kidnapped her couldn't have just left him there, right? _Right?_

"I'm far more interested in figuring out what exactly 'this' is," Sumire said, silently counting off on her fingers. "The last thing that I remember is going to bed."

"Wait, you too?" Ryo asked.

"Yeah," Misa said, nodding. "Me three." Slowly, everyone except for Zettai and Shoma confirmed that the same thing had happened to them. Kotoko gasped, as if she had just remembered something.

"Wait, during the Tragedy, weren't there – "

A bone-chilling laugh filled the auditorium. It was the laugh of someone who found pleasure in terror, humor in hatred and joy in despair. As a group, everyone turned towards the podium. A creature had appeared there while they were distracted talking amongst themselves, a bear split between bright white and pitch black with a glowing red eye and pulsed with malicious intent.

"Hello, class," the bear said. There was no mistaking the voice from the announcement. Just like there was no mistaking the bear. Its image had been branded into every child's consciousness since the day they started learning basic history. "I hope you've all settled in nicely. Do you like the place? I made it myself."

"What is the meaning of this?" Zettai demanded, his hands clenched into fists. The bear brought a paw up to his mouth as he laughed.

"My, my so pushy! Normally I need to monologue for longer before you start making demands! First, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Monokuma! And I am your headmaster."

"Nonononono this can't be happening," Shoma said. All semblance of color had drained from his face. "Please."

Misa's hands were shaking. Sixteen Ultimates. Trapped somewhere with no apparent way out, with no memories of how they got there. How had she been so stupid? She should have realized this sooner. She should have done something.

Monokuma, if anything, enjoyed the growing fear and realization sweeping the group. "That's right, folks! You're going to live here forever. Unless you go ahead and kill one of your classmates. Welcome to the new and improved Killing Game!"

"Ha... ha... very funny. Really great prank, guys," Kat said, his eyes darting around the room. "You really got me there for a second. And here I thought that I was the master prankster of the group."

"This better be a prank! Otherwise somebody's going to get the lights knocked out of them," Fujiko said.

"Oh, it is very real," Monokuma promised. "We are all going to live in peace and harmony together. That is, before the inevitable strangling, stabbing, poisoning, bludgeoning, and shooting begins!" He wiped away a mock tear. "It's always so sad to see such bright, young things put their own personal needs and desires before the group's."

"I assume there are rules to this game?" Sumire asked. She sounded incredibly calm. Misa envied her. She wouldn't trust her voice to be that steady right now.

"But of course! They can be found in your handy and stylish Monopad!" As if on cue, sixteen Monopads chimed with an alert. "Go ahead! Check them out. I'll wait."

Miss closed her eyes for a brief moment before slipping her Monopad out of her pocket. A fifth button had been added to the screen, predictably titled Rules. She clicked it.

 _Killing Game Rules_

 _1\. Ultimates are to reside only within the designated bounds of the community. Leaving the community will result in immediate punishment._

 _2\. Ultimates are allowed to explore their community with minimal restrictions._

 _3\. Ultimates may only sleep in their designated dorm rooms. Sleeping elsewhere will result in immediate punishment._

 _4\. The morning announcement will sound at 8 am. Nighttime will begin at 10 pm. Certain areas may be closed during nighttime._

 _5\. Girls will have access to the showers between 6 am and 6 pm. Boys will have access to the showers between 6 pm and 6 am._

 _6\. Violence against Monokuma is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate punishment. Vandalism is also strictly prohibited._

 _7\. Any Ultimate who kills another Ultimate will immediately become blackened and be able to leave the community if they are not discovered._

 _8\. An investigation and class trial will commence shortly following a murder. Participation is mandatory. Missing the trial will result in immediate punishment._

 _9\. If the blackened is discovered during the trial, they alone will be punished. However, if the blackened is not exposed, then the rest of the community will be punished and the blackened allowed to leave. In the case of a tie, everyone, blackened included, is punished._

 _10\. No one may kill more than two Ultimates over the course of their stay here._

 _11\. Monokuma may not harm or kill an Ultimate unless they have broken a rule._

 _12\. Monokuma may add, change, or remove rules at any time._

Everything fell in line with what Misa expected. The only outlier was the one about the showers, although it did make a certain amount of sense. She had wondered how that would all work out logistically speaking. Reading over the rules had given her enough time to get her head on straight. She could hear Tsuyoshi and Ryo denying the situation, the fact that anybody would actually kill someone, their protests equal parts laughter and fear. Misa already knew that that was a fantasy. It really wasn't that hard to kill someone.

"You - you _dare_ threaten the Iron Maiden!" Shouko pointed a shaking finger at Monokuma. "I will not stand for this!"

"Oh, I'm not threatening anyone," Monokuma said. "Didn't you read the rules? I'm not allowed to hurt any of you. No, it's everyone else that you're in danger from. But who knows! Maybe you'll all be content to live here together!"

No, that wasn't going to happen. Misa kept her head still, but her eyes darted around the room. Miyu kept shaking her head, as if everything that was happening wouldn't quite process yet. Hoshina held onto a trembling Itami. Her gaze landed on Ryuu. The bounty hunter had this funny little smile on his face, like he was the only one in on the joke. Him. She would have to watch him.

"Oh, look at you, already distrusting each other," that awful bear cooed. Misa looked up to find him staring directly at her. Slowly, that red eye moved to Ryuu, Zettai, Sumire, and then finally to Shoma. He burst into laughter. "I'm so glad that we decided to bring this back! You bastards have had it too easy for too long. This Ship has been so blindly hopeful that it made me sick. So, what do you say, kids? I officially declare this Killing Game open season!"

With that, Monokuma leapt into the air and disappeared behind the podium. Satsuki immediately collapsed onto the floor. Rudolph burst into tears.

"It's starting already! How - how is it staring already?" he wailed in-between sobs. Misa ignored him as she ran to Satsuki's side. Kotoko was already there, her hand loosely wrapped around the other girl's as she searched for a pulse.

"She's fine, Rudolph. Don't worry. She just fainted," Kotoko said. With spoke with a calm, gentle authority that seemed to help the horror novelist.

"Really? Oh thank goodness. I was so scared!"

"We should get her to her room," Misa said. "Someone help me carry her." No one moved. "Seriously? Come on! Don't make me pick you."

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha," Ryuu said. Together, they were able to lift the unconscious astronomer up without any issues. They were silent as they made their way to the door marked with a purple thirteen, and laid her on the bed. "Should we just leave her here?"

"Yeah, I'm sure someone will come by to check on her in a bit."

Ryuu nodded and headed towards the door. But instead of going through, he turned around and blocked it. Misa's hand drifted towards her waist. She really needed to get her guns back. "Word is that you're some kind of smuggler," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"The very best," she said evenly. "One might even call me the Ultimate Smuggler, if they were being fancy."

"Let's be fancy then."

"Alright."

"You believe that shit that bear was spewing? About this being an actual Killing Game?"

"What does that question have to do with my talent?"

Ryuu shrugged. "Figured a criminal like you would have good instincts. You'd know what was real and what was a bluff."

"I think..." Misa paused for a few moments, "that we really need to find a way out of here before someone decides to test Rule Seven."

* * *

 **And that's it for the Prologue! I think that the goal is going to be to try and update at least once a week. That might slow down once the summer is over, but that's something to worry about later. Next up is Chapter One, which means FTE time! There's going to be 5 per chapter. Vote for whose FTE you want to see on the poll on my profile. It should (hopefully) be working.  
**

 **Until next time!**


	5. Chapter One Part I

**We are officially in Chapter One! Thank you to everyone who voted in the FTE poll! It was really cool to see who you guys responded to and wanted to see more of. (Or not, in some cases.) But I got my five, and they're a pretty fun and diverse bunch. But onto review replies.**

 **liammarklh88: I finally got your review from the depths of the void! I'm glad that you like Misa so far! While some stories do succeed while having an unlikeable protagonist, I personally don't find those very fun to read, so I'm glad that I'm avoiding that so far. And I'm glad that I'm doing well by your soon. Poor Itami. He didn't sign up for any of this.**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Yeah, I got a couple of ideas on how to make sure that we get to know everyone a bit better before the bodies stop dropping. Hopefully I'm successful! And I always welcome you reading too far into things! I love reading everyone's reactions and thought processes. As for romance, well... *shrugs* I'm a shipper at heart, so there'll definitely be _something_ somewhere. Possibly multiple somethings. I'm working on it. **

**TheUbermenschWriter: We have so many short OCs! I was writing all of the descriptions and I'm just like... I know that Misa is very tall, but still!**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Yay! I'm glad! :) And I'm glad that you've been enjoying it so far!**

 **MasterSaixus: Yeah, Kat and Shouko are certainly very vibrant personalities. And I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying what I've done with Ryuu so far!**

 **alucard** **deathsinger: Well, you will get your wish as Zettai won the FTE poll. So we're definitely getting at least something more of him! And yeah, I'm honestly not sure who would win between Sumire and Zettai. They're both very tactically minded. It would be fun to find out~**

 **Shirasaur: AAAaaaAAAAAhhhHhhHhh! (Yes, I did copy that letter for letter, and yes, I will continue to scream back at you.) But I'm glad that you're in love with the story, and sorry that some of the character introductions were a little confusing. You'll get to know more about them soon!**

 **oddlyillregular: Yeah, I had never heard of an onomastician before I got the character either, but it's kinda cool! It's fun not having talents that have necessarily been done to death before. And yeah... it is Danganronpa. It wouldn't be much fun if everyone lived happily ever after! ;)**

* * *

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

"Ahem! Rise and shine! It is now 8 am! Get up and ready for another bear-tacular day!"

Misa groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow. "No puns!"

After Monokuma's appearance and declaration of a new Killing Game, everyone had scattered. Misa ended up back in her room, where she had alternated between pacing a new hole into her floor and finding ways to block her door to the showers. She knew that the doors had locks on them since she couldn't even budge her door once the guys' shower shift started, but it looked like they were automated. She couldn't lock the door herself to keep people from sneaking into her room. Which was obviously an issue, considering the situation.

Either way, she slept fitfully, unable to actually shut her mind off enough in order to sleep. It wasn't a matter of when someone would commit a murder, but when. People were scared and angry, and when that happened they made very bad decisions. She knew that much. The real question was how to protect herself from becoming the first victim. Not that she was worried about dying here or anything. Because she wasn't. Death was for other people, not her. But that didn't mean that she shouldn't be vigilant.

Misa groaned out loud and heaved herself up into a sitting position. At least the beds here were nice. She didn't wake up with any of the aches and pains that she normally did. Just a dull headache that reminded her that she couldn't quite remember that last time she ate or drank anything. It could have been yesterday, or two days ago… or it could have been much longer.

She grabbed a change of clothes from her closet and headed to the showers, pausing only to shift her desk out from under the door handle. There was no way that she was actually changing in here with the camera watching her every move. She had ducked out into the hall bathrooms last night in order to avoid it. Would finding a way to cover it up be considered vandalism? She technically wouldn't be breaking or defacing anything. Right?

"Morning, everyone," Misa said as she entered the room. One of the showers was currently running, sending a steady stream of water onto the floor and towards the drain, although Misa obviously couldn't see who was in it.

"Hello, Misa." Sumire was the only other person there, brushing her wet hair in front of the mirror. "Oh, watch your step. My poor socks got absolutely soaked earlier." She was right. The water from the shower was feeding into a rather substantial puddle around the drain. While the lowered section of floor kept it from spilling all over the room, the puddle had to be a couple of inches deep.

"Alright, who clogged the drain already?" Misa asked, bending over to see if she could spot the issue. But it didn't look like there was anything in the way.

"Yes, sorry, it was me. All of this hair is an absolute nightmare," Sumire said lightly. Misa looked back in time to see her hold her hair out like a fan with a small grin. Sumire let it drop back into place, hitting her back with a dull, wet thud. "But in all seriousness, do you think that we could get Monokuma to play plumber? Or call one in perhaps?"

"I don't know. He'd probably just laugh and call it despair."

Sumire frowned, any trace of playfulness gone. "A fair point. We are in quite the lovely situation, aren't we?"

"Would you believe me if I said that I've been in worse?" Misa asked, leaning against the edge of an unoccupied shower. She grinned and stuck her hands in her pockets. Sumire met her eyes through the mirror.

"Would it make you feel better if I say yes?"

Misa shrugged and ducked into the shower, pulling the curtain across so that she could change. That was not the answer she usually got. Either Tetsu called her out on her bullshit, or everyone else said that yes, they did believe her. Of course Misa had been through worse and survived. The truth of the statement didn't matter as much as what it implied. And if Sumire didn't believe her, then either that girl was a lot more perceptive than she let on, or maybe Misa really was in over her head. No, it was definitely the first one. It was way too early in the morning to be rattled or anxious or whatever the hell the knot in her stomach was.

Sumire and whoever it was in the shower were gone by the time that Misa was finished. She paused just long enough to check her braid in the mirror before heading back to her room and replacing the makeshift barricade that she had made. Nobody had made any sort of plans for a group breakfast, but there were probably some people in the dining room by now. They could coordinate some kind of plan.

But first, to the lottery room. She ducked her head in just long enough to double check that her guns were still there, locked away in their case. And that was something that she was going to continue to do, multiple times a day if necessary, until they were back on her hips where they belonged. It was obvious now why Monokuma had taken them away: they were a huge advantage in this game. It didn't matter how careful you were or how intricately you planned if someone could just come around the corner and shoot you.

But they were still there. Good. That was what was important. Misa scrubbed her hands over her face and slapped her cheeks twice. Food. Hopefully there was food. She never quite managed to make it into the kitchen yesterday, but she doubted that Monokuma would starve them. Unless that was the first motive. These kinds of things always had a motive, right? Maybe? Guess she'll find out either way.

Surprisingly, Misa was one of the last people to arrive in the dining room. She hadn't realized that everyone else would be so quick. Or maybe they were just naturally early risers. At least she saw food in front of everyone. There was only one table, so everyone was _technically_ forced to eat together. But there were still some obvious groupings forming. The now familiar trio of Rudolph, Fujiko and Satsuki had formed at one end of the table, although Ryo had joined them as well. Misa personally thought that Satsuki looked a little uncomfortable to be sitting there with such a boisterous and excitable group, but she also hadn't necessarily seen the astronomer willingly leave Fujiko's side either. Still, it was good that she was up and about, quietly listening to whatever story Ryo was telling.

Towards the middle of the table were Miyu, Tsuyoshi, and Itami. That was another person who looked like he wished to be anywhere but there. Hoshina and Kotoko sat near by, although Hoshina kept glancing at the trio every so often. She was still gently smiling, but there was a tightness around her eye whenever she looked at the patient.

Everyone else was still missing, although Misa had a feeling that Shoma would not be making an appearance this morning.

She cleared her throat and walked further into the room. "Hey! Where's the food?" There were the normal greetings and good mornings, and Fujiko pointed to the kitchen.

"In there! They got so many options. I'd never even heard of some of them," she said, holding up a fried, golden nugget. "Like hushpuppies! And they're actually really, really great. It's so cool!" She got ahold of herself with some visual effort. "Doktor Shouko's in there right now."

"Great," Misa said, unable to muster up much enthusiasm. She saw Miyu grin out of the corner of her eye.

The kitchen was about half the size of the dining room, and filled with neat displays of fresh fruits and vegetables, cabinets of freshly baked bread, refrigerated shelves of meat, and not a single thing to actually cook or otherwise prepare food with. She went to the nearest display and picked up an apple. She tapped her fingers against it.

"Plastic?"

"Ah, minion, I see that you have discovered the secret of this foul place," Shouko said. She stood in front of a row of machines that Misa didn't recognize. And yes, Shouko was stroking her chin like she had a goatee and was some nefarious, low budget movie character. "All of the food that you see before you are actually carefully crafted replicas!"

"Don't call me 'minion,'" Misa told her.

"Would you prefer to be my underling instead? The Iron Maiden can be accommodating."

"I don't know. Is that a paying gig?" Misa asked, frowning at the glint of copper that was half-hiding under another apple. Was that a coin or something? Whatever it is, someone had hidden it here. She palmed it and turned to full face the robotic engineer.

"Ja, when my robot army conquers out new home, you shall have a place in my empire, one that shall rival Rome in its grandeur!"

Yeah, so that was going to be a "no" then. Figures. Just then, the machines behind Shouko beeped. She spun around with a gasp and happily pulled out a steaming bowl of soup. So that's where you got food. Excellent. On closer inspection, the machines were a series of ordering stations. You used the screen to select your meal, and it arrived a few minutes later. And Fujiko was right; the selection was amazing! Nearly every Earth culture was represented and included many foods that Misa had never heard of before.

She ended up with an omelet made with fried ham, onions and lots of cheese and headed back to the dining room. Shouko had already claimed the seat next to Miyu, so Misa joined Hoshina and Kotoko instead.

"Oh, sorry, let me make room for you," Kotoko said, sliding her plate closer to her.

"You're fine. Trust me, if I wanted to spread out, I would have sat at the end. Even if that is kinda antisocial," Misa told her with an easy smile.

"That's a good point."

"Did you sleep well, Misa?" Hoshina asked. Misa shrugged as she took the first bite of her omelet. She had expected it to be amazing. It was not amazing. Not that it was _bad_ really, just average. And rubbery. Maybe she should have stuck to the Japanese menu.

"It was whatever. I'm used to not really running on a lot of sleep."

"Do you think that your room color made it worse?" the psychologist asked, tilting her head to the side like some kind of bird. "Yours was red, right? I was trying to remember, but I think that it's supposed to inflame anger and hunger. That's why a lot of food logos are red."

"Yeah, I think that it was more just… you know," Misa gestured around. Both girls nodded. Now that Misa was close enough to hear each group's conversation, it was hard to ignore how stilted everything was. People, like Rudolph, Miyu and Tsuyoshi, were trying their best to act like nothing was wrong, like it was possible to carry on an entirely innocuous conversation right now, but it really wasn't. Now that people were sitting together and really looking at each other, it was hard to forget Monokuma, hard to forget the fact that they were all apparently stuck here unless someone got away with murder.

"I wonder why we all have our colors," Kotoko said suddenly. "Misa has red, mine is mint green."

"I have pink," Hoshina added.

"Right. Maybe it has to do with our personalities? Or maybe our talents?"

"Or someone is trying to screw with us. Or some with us," Misa said. "Or maybe they really mean nothing and it was random. It's the same thing with the numbers. Maybe they have deeper meaning. Maybe they're just the order that we were chosen in for this stupid game."

"I guess we really are in the dark here," Kotoko said as she pushed the last remaining bite of her breakfast around with her fork. Hoshina laid a hand on her arm with a gentle smile. Misa was starting to distrust that smile. It was on her face like a tattoo.

"We'll all figure it out," she said reassuringly. "We're a very talented group of people here after all. There's no reason why we shouldn't succeed."

By now, everyone else had filtered into the dining room and had gotten their food. Well, everyone except for Shoma. He was nowhere to be seen.

"He'll come by once we all clear out," Misa said. Hoshina was getting that concerned tightness around her eye and brow again. "You saw him yesterday. He doesn't do the whole people thing. Or the basic socialization thing." Hoshina just hummed in what was probably agreement. Misa didn't push it.

Kat had slid into the spot between Ryo and Shouko, and was bouncing back and forth between the two conversations with apparent ease. The rest of the Ultimates, Zettai, Sumire and Ryuu, sat at the far end of the table. There was no chair at the head of the table, and Misa half expected Zettai to drag his chair around in order to sit there. But he didn't. It must have been too obvious or undignified for him or whatever.

The stilted conversations continued while everyone ate, but they slowly tapered off as the meal came to a close. Misa looked at Zettai expectantly.

"What?" he asked flatly.

"Oh, sorry, were you not going to make some kind of big leader speech before dividing us up into our assigned groups?"

"Funny that you think that I actually need any of your help."

"Oh, come on, BB. Don't be like that."

Kat let out a choked little laugh that he quickly covered up with a cough.

"Regardless, we all should probably discuss what exactly we're going to do here," Sumire said as she angled her chair to better look at everyone. "I don't think that any of us can deny what happened yesterday."

"We are all participants of a Killing Game," Satsuki said quietly. "What else is there to discuss?"

"The Archives had records of the games that took place during the Tragedy," Kotoko said. "Maybe if we go over what those were like, we can stop from making some of the same mistakes?"

"What else is there besides the shit we learned in school?" Ryuu asked. "Sixteen Ultimates are locked up, bang, bang, bang, around five of them walk out."

"Yeah, but no one is dying here," Miyu said. She made sure to stare directly at each and every person. Her frown deepened. Apparently, she didn't really like what she saw. "No one. Got that?"

"Yeah, like t-that was never s-s-said before." Itami had a point, and from the look on some people's faces, Misa wasn't the only one who thought that.

"I… maybe you're right."

"Kotoko!" Miyu hissed.

"Please let me finish. Maybe you're right, Itami. But as best as I can remember, these things always follow the same pattern. Monokuma will give out a motive soon, and that'll be what pushes one of us to murder. If we're open and honest and talk to each other, then maybe we can stop any potential motive from taking root."

Hoshina nodded. "She's right! It's when people feel isolated or lost that they get overwhelmed and make difficult decisions that they wouldn't have otherwise. We all just need to be each other's support system."

"Yeah, well, someone should tell that to Gamer Boy then," Fujiko said, popping her last hushpuppy into her mouth. Ryo raised his hand and waved it around. Everyone just looked at him for a few seconds.

"Oh, yes, Ryo?" Sumire asked. "You have something to say?"

"Yep! Tsuyoshi and I went to his room and asked him if he wanted to play after breakfast, but he just kinda hissed at us and shut the door in our faces," the adventurer explained, looking like a very confused puppy who wasn't really sure why it had been kicked. "We were just gonna go to the science lab and make explosions…"

Kat immediately perked up. "Really? And why wasn't I told?"

"I, uh, just wanted to take a full inventory of what's in the lab," Tsuyoshi said, scratching the back of his neck. "There won't really be explosions. Just maybe some, uh, chemical reactions?" He looked at Ryo, who perked back up. Yep, Misa was definitely going to avoid that area then for the time being.

"If I can bring us back on task, please? Thank you. Obviously, we're facing a talented and resourceful enemy. They would have to be to target most of us, to break into our homes while we were sleeping and – "

"Do not worry, minions… and underling! Once my newest creation realizes that I have been kidnapped, he will mobilize my robot army and make Monokuma regret the day he ever _dared_ to challenge me, Doktor Shouko Sakamura!"

"Da hell did you do to get changed into an underling?" Ryuu muttered under his breath. Misa just shook her head.

"Yes, I'm sure that he will," Zettai said. "Unless, of course, Monokuma destroyed him in the process of your kidnapping."

Shouko gasped, slapping her hand over her heart. "That is impossible! I – "

"Wait! No, wait, that's important!" Rudolph said suddenly. "I share my room with my big brother! But he isn't here! What if something happened to him?" The poor kid looked like he was on the verge of tears again. Fujiko quickly wrapped him up in a hug.

"I was also sharing a room with my partner," Misa said. "And obviously he isn't here either."

"Partner?" Miyu asked, sounding remarkably casual. The smuggler grinned.

"Relax, I only meant that in the professional sense."

A light flush creeped up Miyu's neck. Interesting. Very interesting.

"The answer is obvious," Zettai said. He looked terribly bored at this whole thing. "I doubt that either of those two people were Ultimates." Misa remembered the certificate that she had printed up as a favor, the cheap, plastic medal that she had bought at a convenience store, the smile on Tetsu's face when she had given them to him. It was the first genuine one that she had seen since they got word that she had been proclaimed the Ultimate Smuggler. She looked down at her aching hands. She didn't remember when she had balled them up into tight fists.

"Still doesn't explain what happened to them," she said quietly.

"If I can bring us back on task, _please_ ," Sumire repeated. She smoothed out her skirt. "Thank you. Now, as I was saying, we are facing a difficult enemy, but there is no reason why we can't succeed here. We need to find a way out, or at least a clue that points to the true nature of our situation."

"We got the wooden door. It's the only thing in this damned place that's always locked," Miyu said. "And I think that Misa had an idea yesterday too."

All eyes turned towards her. Great. Oh, well. Not like she could really hide it for that long anyways. "Maybe. Gotta double-check some things first. Make sure that I'm actually right." Sumire nodded.

"Alright. Then I propose that we all search this place from top to bottom. There has to be something that we can use here."

"I-I'm not really good at that. I ju-just want to stay in my room…" Itami said, a splotchy blush covering his face.

"Why don't you come to the lounge instead?" Kotoko asked. "People who don't want to search or who get tired can come and hang out." She caught sight of the annoyed expression on Sumire's face. "I… sorry." But just as quickly as it arrived, the emotion was gone form the chess player's face.

"No, that's probably a good idea. Sorry, I can turn into a regular dictator sometimes! Of course, no one has to do anything that they don't want to."

Zettai stood, his chair causing an awful screech against the floor. He readjusted the cuffs of his jacket and smiled politely. His eyes remained cold, seemingly removed from the situation. "In that case, I'll leave you all to your desperate scrambling. Just make sure to stay out of my way, if you don't mind."

He strode out of the room and the air immediately felt lighter.

"Fucking prick," Ryuu said, prompting scattered laughs and smiles. Slowly, everyone broke up into their different groups. But surprisingly, the minority joined Sumire's exploration group. It seemed like more people wanted to sit in the lounge together and pretend that they could all be friends and that no one was going to die. Even Miyu. Judging by the way she had gone at the locked door yesterday, Misa was certain that she would join up with them.

"You're going the wrong way," Misa told her as she passed.

"What? I trust you to find everything," she said before lowering her voice. "I just want to keep an eye on them and make sure that everyone is okay."

"How noble."

"Someone here has to be. Why not me?"

"Careful. That attitude will get you killed." It was meant to be a joke, maybe not a very funny one, but still a joke. Miyu, apparently, did not take it as a joke, and just made a noncommittal noise in response before disappearing down the hallway. Great. Awesome. Fan – freaking – tastic.

Anyways, that left Misa with Ryuu, Sumire, Kat, Tsuyoshi, and Shouko, which actually wasn't that bad all things considered. She mostly stuck with Ryuu and Kat as they carefully searched every inch of their new home, leaving Sumire to deal with the mad Doktor and Tsuyoshi to bounce around to wherever he thought that he could be the most helpful.

He was the one who walked her through the science lab. It was about the same size as the art room and laid out like a typical classroom. Neat rows of pristine lab tables were spaced evenly throughout the room, each supplied with beakers and burners and other equipment that Misa assumed was standard. The walls were lined with cabinets holding even more specialized equipment.

"And then back here are the various chemical agents," Tsuyoshi said, leading her to the back wall. "Whoever did this really did their research. Everything is sealed and contained and properly stored so that it's at its most stable state."

"You make it sound like some of these can get unstable," Misa said with a small smile. It faded when the scientist didn't laugh. "Oh no."

"Don't worry. There's nothing too dangerous here. I think. I mean, you can make some noxious or corrosive mixtures here if you don't know what you're doing, but I don't think that anyone is just going to mess around with chemicals just for fun." Misa immediately turned to look at Kat. "He's a professional." But even as he said that, Tsuyoshi sounded a bit doubtful.

The group worked its way to the lottery room, and Misa made a beeline for her babies. Brute strength didn't get them out, so maybe she had to finesse things here. She carefully ran her fingers along every edge of the plastic box, trying to find some kind of catch or imperfection that she could exploit.

"Should I get the stool ready?" Sumire asked lightly.

"Yo, wait, are those your guns?" Kat asked.

"No, the holster's just for show," Misa said, not really paying attention.

"That's Ryuu," Sumire said.

"Oh, fuck off, kid."

"Why do you have a gun? Or two, in this case?" Tsuyoshi asked. Misa growled under her breath and slapped the box. Nothing. The stupid thing was sealed tight, and she didn't want to risk really breaking it in case that counted as vandalism. A second later, she realized that he had asked her a question.

"What? Oh, to shoot at people. Why do you think?"

Dead silence.

"You've, uh, shot people before?" Tsuyoshi asked. He was half-hiding behind Ryuu.

"Oh, shit. I said shoot at people. _At._ What? There's a difference! I don't actually try to hit anybody. I just need to make them think that I will so that they stay in cover." Misa paused. It was still silent. "I've never killed anyone, if that's what you're all thinking."

She moved off further into the room, her shoulders hunched up over her ears. She should have prepared for that question. It obviously would have come up. At least her voice had been steady through her lie. No one had called her out on it, so hopefully that meant that they bought it.

"Hey, kid."

"Don't call me that. I'm older than you."

He leaned against the nearest display case and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Misa pretended to be very interested in a shoji board. Would Sumire like shoji? Or maybe Shoma? It was technically a game. He liked those, right? Maybe it would get him to talk to her.

"I get da feeling that you and me think the same way," Ryuu said. "We've dealt with the same kinds people before." He went quiet, as if trying to get his thoughts in order. "You were quiet during the whole meeting shitshow."

"I didn't think it was a shitshow. Besides, basically everyone was quiet compared to Sumire."

"You really like being difficult, don't ya?"

"It's part of my charm. Oh!" Misa fished the coin that she had grabbed out of her pocket and held it up. Now that she could really look at it, she saw that it was printed with a copy of Monokuma's face on both sides. Along the bottom was the word "Monocoin."

She hurried over to the machine in the center of the room and inserted the coin into the slot. It immediately lit up with bright, colorful lights.

"Ooh. Sparkly," Kat said, eyes wide as he and everyone else gathered around the machine. Misa looked around her and shrugged before pulling the lever. A happy, slightly off-key tuned played as lights raced around the room. Kat jogged after the lights to follow them. "Hey! They're around this box over here." As if on cue, there was a solid _thunk_ , followed by the sound of something rolling down one of the tubes. It landed in the collection box, and all of the lights shut off.

Misa reached into the box and pulled out a roll of silver duct tape. Immediately, her Monopad softly chimed. "I'm guessing that it's telling me that I have a present?" she said.

"Heh. Well, maybe it'll help you get out of a sticky situation," Kat said. He paused, waiting for people to laugh. "Aw, that was funny!"

"These coins are a valuable currency then," Shouko said. She suddenly pointed at the ceiling. "Minions! And underling! Whoever gathers the most coins and brings them to me shall have a treasured spot among my inner circle!"

Misa wouldn't have worded it quite like that, but she agreed with the basic premise. They needed to find the coins and make sure that no one used them in secret. They had no idea what were actually in here, besides the two, very obviously deadly weapons, and shifting through everything would be a pain in the ass. There were hundred of items crammed into the room, and some of them, like the duct tape, looked like there were multiple copies.

This room was trouble, even more so than the showers or the potentially dangerous chemicals in the science room, or the ridiculously sharp tools and saws in the art room. Misa pressed her palms against her eyes and sighed. There were too many things to keep track of. Too many possibilities to consider without having someone that she could trust and talk to. She felt a sharp stabbing in her heart. She missed her partner.

The group finally left the lottery room and headed towards the lounge. Misa lagged behind a bit, taking a moment to count how many steps it took to get from the door to the right-hand wall of the room.

"Four," she muttered. "Four." She counted the steps that it took to get from the lottery door to the lounge door, turned around, and did it again. "Thirty."

"Misa, what are you doing?" Sumire asked. She pointed at her.

"Four."

"Four?"

Misa moved her hand to point at Kat. "Thirty." He frowned, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Okay?"

The expected group was gathered in the lounge, sitting around a board game. Ryo waved when he saw Misa.

"Hello! Want to join? You can be on my team! We're sure to win if you do."

"You're in last place. By a lot," Satsuki said.

"So?"

"Sorry, I'm just here to check something out," Misa said. The lounge was long, and the door was situated close to the right-hand wall, which just made it look even longer. Still, Misa counted her steps. "Twenty." Miyu watched her with open curiosity. Rudolph had to poke her in order to make the geneticist take her turn. Misa returned to the hall, Miyu following her like a shadow.

"You're checking out your idea, right?" she asked. "I want to see what it is."

Misa turned to face the lottery room and counted out twenty steps. Finally, she smiled. "I was right."

"Speak clearly, underling!"

"The lounge is twenty steps long from doorway to wall. That's where I'm standing. The end of the room. The lottery room has four steps to the wall. Twenty plus four is…"

"Twenty-four," Miyu supplied.

"Oh." Kat had figured it out. "But the hall is thirty steps long, right? That's why you had me remember the number."

Misa nodded. "Yeah. We got about six feet of dead space. From here to about…" she stretched out her arms across the wall, "here. Plenty of room for a, well, room. And it's the only dead space we got in the whole circle. Every other wall is flush up against each other, best I can tell."

"How did you even notice that?" Sumire asked. She quickly walked over to join her in front of the mystery dead space. Misa shrugged.

"It's what I do. I make my living exploiting spaces like this. Guess at this point, I just got an eye for them."

"Couldn't it just have ventilation or water pipes or something like that?" Tsuyoshi asked.

"Yeah, or it could be our way out of here," Miyu said with a grin.

"Not so fast," Sumire said. "There are no seams or any indication that we can get through from the hallway. And no," she looked directly at Kat, "we can't just blow it open. It could be an exterior wall and we'll all be sucked out into space, never mind the vandalism rule." He visibly deflated.

"Okay, well now we know that it's there!" Miyu seemed determined to view this as a victory. "It's more information than we had!"

The rest of the search was sadly uneventful. There were no other clues as to why or how they were trapped in this situation, or any sign of how to actually get out. And no one managed to find any more Monocoins. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise Misa if Monokuma measured them out day by day and only put them places where he knew certain people would find them. After all, it wouldn't be very fun if the group could hoard them all and stop someone from getting an unfair advantage from the lottery.

Really, the only new fact that they managed to find was that each of the bedrooms and the showers were completely soundproof. Someone could yell and scream and cry all they want, and no one would hear a peep. But they all agreed that that certain bit of information wouldn't leave the exploration group. It was admittedly a lot of people to try and keep a secret, but hopefully it would dissuade people of any stupidity if they knew that help was only one loud noise away.

Searching everywhere was exhausting, and Misa was honestly a little relieved when the group finally split up to do their own thing. She headed straight to her room, and after locking the door behind her, flopped face first onto the bed. She closed her eyes and pulled the pillow close to her chest. She needed to figure out her next move here, and she needed to be careful.

This was going to be a social game, and that meant that she needed allies. But then that exposed her to betrayal and a host of other weaknesses. Isolation would be physically safer. Lock yourself up in your room, only sneak out for meals when you really need to… that was what Shoma was doing. And Zettai, to a lesser extent, although his attitude was probably putting a target on his back.

But everyone else, they were playing the social game. They might not have thought about it in that way, but they were forming relationships, finding people who would vouch for them if the worst happened. They either hadn't thought of the inherent risk, or just accepted it as minimal or unimportant.

She curled tighter around her pillow. Okay, fine. She would go and find allies. Or friends. It would probably be better to think of them as friends. But after she took a nap and her brain recharged. If she went off to do it now, she would just end up saying something stupid. Yeah, okay. She had a plan. She always felt better with a plan. It was reassuring enough that she was able to drop off to sleep.


	6. Chapter One Part II

**Hello again, my lovely readers. Guess what day it is? FTE Day! Well, FTE Part One Day! Isn't it exciting? I'm excited. But you probably don't care about this, so I will get on with the review replies so that you can get on with the chapter.**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: I always love seeing what details you pick up on and comment on, and what theories you create from those details. It's nice for me because it lets me see which bits of foreshadowing are working and which might not be. But yes, death never comes for the protagonist. Usually. Sometimes. Maybe. Get ready for FRIEND TIME!**

 **liammarklh88: I honestly do love Shouko too. She's a joy to write. But I could also see how overwhelming she could be in real life. Shoma is also me low-key. Let me stay in my room. My computer is there. That's all I need. (Food is optional.)**

 **TheUbermenschWriter: We probably got a little bit still before someone get their hands dirty, but be patient! The wait will (hopefully) be worth it. As for your suggestion... I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it and how it fits.**

 **alucard deathsinger: I'm having a lot of fun with the various interactions too. We have a lot of colorful personalities in this cast, and it's fun to bounce them off of each other. But yeah, there's a couple of death flags raised for both Zettai and Sumire. We shall have to see if they're proper flags or red herrings!**

 **MasterSaixus: And so daily life begins. Yeah, I'm planting a couple of ideas for the first murder. They live in a dangerous place, you know. Got to be aware of any and all potential hazards!**

* * *

Misa looked up at her ceiling thoughtfully, specifically at the camera attached to her ceiling. It was small, black, round, and probably had 360 degrees on this whole room. No blind spots. That would defeat the purpose of a camera to begin with. And sure, there are a lot of shitty cameras on the Ship, but she had a funny feeling that this was not one of them.

See, Misa had a problem. She really wanted to take a nap. And for a solid half hour, she had a very nice nap. Her bed was soft and warm. Her pillow was squishy. But there this reoccurring thought that kept her from getting any kind of real sleep. She was being watched. It wasn't really an issue last night. The room was dark, she was exhausted, her mind was busy with thoughts of psychotic, monochromatic teddy bears… But now? Her stupid brain was fixated on the stupid camera.

She narrowed her eyes at it and pulled out her Monopad, skimming quickly through the rules. There technically wasn't anything that prohibited her from covering it up. She just couldn't break or deface it. That left her a lot of wiggle room. Potentially. Maybe. At the very least, she could see just how far she could push Monokuma and his rules. Someone had to see just where the boundaries were. Why not her?

Misa suddenly grinned. If there was anyone watching the cameras at that moment (and there was someone watching the cameras at that moment, two someones, actually), then they should have been very, very nervous. Misa remembered that she had duct tape. She could do a lot with duct tape, including make what looked like a decent-sized salad bowl. She flipped it around in her hands a couple of times. Yeah, that should work.

She dragged her desk chair over to the center of the room and climbed up, wobbling only slightly. She carefully placed her makeshift bowl over the camera and secured it to the ceiling with two more strips of tape.

"Ahem."

Misa froze, eyes trained on the ceiling. Crap. She hadn't heard him come in. How did he even get in here? She didn't hear a door or hatch open. Did he freaking teleport? This place had fancy shit, but teleportation was where she drew the line.

"'Ello. What's up?" she asked.

"Just what exactly do you think you're doing?" Monokuma asked. Misa forced a grin before turning her head to look at him over her shoulder. Yeah, he looked pissed. That red eye of his was absolutely gleaming with barely restrained fury. There was even a red flush over his face.

"Covering up the cameras?" she offered, holding up her duct tape like a peace offering. She was very proud that her hand wasn't shaking. "Wait, no, sorry, decorating my room to express my individuality."

"You can't mess with the cameras, dumbass."

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to be a pervert and watch us sleep or change or whatever. You know, some of us here are minors!"

He gasped, as if genuinely offended. "How else am I supposed to make sure that my dear, dear charges are safe and sound?"

"You literally want us to kill each other," Misa told him.

Monokuma was silent for a few, very long seconds. Misa kept grinning. Finally, like a switch had been flipped, the bear burst out laughing.

"You're a clever one, aren't you?"

"I have my moments."

Monokuma laughed again, quieter this time. And yes, it did feel exponentially more sinister. His arm lashed out, knocking Misa's chair over and sending her sprawling onto her bed. "I'll take that!" he said, plucking the duct tape from her hand. By the time Misa had sat up and gotten her bearings, he was gone.

"Oh, no you don't," Misa muttered. She threw herself onto the floor and crawled around, searching every inch of the space for a seam or a handle or anything that would indicate that there was a secret door hiding there. Nothing. She sat back onto her heels with a huff. "He's not teleporting. He's not."

Damn it. She was going to ask Shouko about teleportation, wasn't she? Maybe Tsuyoshi. No, definitely Tsuyoshi. He was easier to deal with. And Scientist could really mean a wide range of things, including… well, whatever it would take to beam cells and atoms from one place to another. Physics? Biology? Ugh, she really should have gone to school at some point during the last, what was it now, five years?

At least Monokuma left her makeshift shield. Misa half-expected him to steal that away along with her tape. Still. Little victories. She stood and stretched her hands over her head before heading to the showers. It was super inconvenient that they didn't just have mirrors in their room. Maybe she could steal a mirror. No, that would probably be a step too far. She would actually get in trouble for that one.

The showers were empty as Misa headed to one of the sinks. She let the water run for a couple of seconds while she studied her appearance. Her braid was a mess, the red strands circling her head like a halo of fire. But other than that, she still looked okay. She didn't look that stressed or tired. She looked fine, and that meant that she looked competent.

Good. She was about to potentially do something stupid in her hunt for alli – _friends_ , and she needed whatever edge she could get. She bent over the sink to wash her face, and quickly redid her braid.

Misa found her target in the lounge. It was empty except for two people; everyone else must have cleared out to go do other things. Sumire and Zettai sat opposite of each other with a chessboard in-between them. Judging by how many pieces each of them had captured, the game was nearing its end. Sumire looked perfectly calm and composed, just a hint of a smile gracing her lips. Zettai, predictably, looked inordinately pleased, as if Sumire was a dog that had just performed an amusing trick for the first time.

"Well, this didn't take long," Misa said as she leaned against the doorway. Sumire's smile widened as she turned to look at the smuggler. Zettai barely looked up from the chessboard.

"Hello, Misa. You don't play at all, do you?" she asked.

"Please tell me that wasn't a serious question," Zettai said. He shifted one of the chess pieces. "And it's your turn."

"I do believe that I was just insulted," Misa said as she walked further into the room, eventually taking up a post directly behind Zettai's shoulder. She shoved her hands into her pockets and leaned over to get a look at the board. She was close enough to the tactician that she could hear the small, annoyed exhale he made as he leaned away from her.

"I do believe you were," Sumire said. "Care to prove him wrong?" Misa laughed and shook her head.

"Nah. I can't. I just know the romantic metaphors and stuff." Both of them looked at her in surprise, and it was enough to prompt Misa to grin and shrug. "What can I say? My partner and I watch way too much TV in our downtime." That was one of the few things that they brought with them from place to place, a small, portable screen that had thousands of movies and shows downloaded onto it. It had been a gift from a client. Okay, maybe it had been more of a bribe, but it gave them something to do when they couldn't leave their room.

Sumire leaned forward, steepling her hands together. "Really? Please, enlighten me on these metaphors."

"You're only delaying the inevitable, Sumire. I'm going to win. It won't matter how much time you have to think about your next move."

"Fine," she said with a wave of her hand. She played her turn, the piece hitting the board with a definitive click. "Now, you were saying, Misa?"

"Oh, yeah. There's all these shows were the lead character is this cold, aloof, intellectual man caught in some kind of cosmic struggle with his opponent. And right where the hour is darkest, there's always this internal monologue as he stares at a chessboard. And, of course, he's talking in all of these tactical terms about how the bad guy had captured his queen or whatever and how it's the most important piece and has totally destroyed his strategic power, and what he's really referring to is the competent, spunky, beautiful woman who's always by his side as his trusted advisor and who he's deeply in love with but will never admit it until a life and death situation."

Sumire's eyes sparkled and Misa's grin widened. For once, it wasn't forced. "My, my, that almost sounds like Zettai here! I don't suppose you have a spunky, competent, beautiful secretary or something at your company, do you?" she asked sweetly.

Misa leaned to the side a bit in order to truly appreciate the look of utter distaste on his face. She decided to take it a step further. If he was going to walk around like a dick, acting like he owned the place, then he could handle a little teasing. Even if it did potentially sabotage her original intent of tracking him down in order to foster some kind of relationship. The guy was an ass, but at least he actually knew his stuff. Probably.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sumire," Misa said. "That's not Zettai's genre. He's really from an otome game. The first love interest released is always the cold, cruel bastard of a leader just waiting for a meek, submissive girl to revive his dead, dead heart." Sumire burst out laughing, although she had the decency to try and hide her grin behind her hand. Misa had no such reservations.

"And I suppose you play these games with your business partner as well?" Zettai asked dryly. Sumire saved her from answering.

"You do certainly have the looks for it," she said, as if commenting on the weather, not that weather was really a thing on the Ship since things like seasons or rainstorms kinda needed a planet to exist. There was a slight hitch in Zettai's movements as he played his next turn. It was a small moment, but still one that made Sumire straighten her posture.

"If you're trying to distract me, you're simply wasting your time," he said, taking a moment to glare at Misa. Still, she didn't miss the way his gaze traveled the length of her body before returning to Sumire.

"Am I? Checkmate," the chess grandmaster said. Zettai frowned, his eyes darting over the board. A muscle in his jaw twitched once, and then twice. She smoothly rose to her feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find some dinner. Let me know if you ever want a rematch."

There was silence for a few seconds after she left. Misa hovered, wanting to say something but also not wanting to simply be insulted and dismissed. Zettai reset the chessboard and gestured sharply to the now vacant seat in front of him.

"Sit. We're playing." It was not a request. Misa stayed where she was, waiting until he finally sighed and looked up at her.

"I don't know how to. You'll obliterate me. It won't even be fun for either of us."

"You wanted to talk to me. This is my price." Misa inclined her head slightly and took her seat. "And before you ask, yes, you really were that obvious. If you didn't want to speak with me, you would have left with Sumire."

"Actually, I was going to say that you must be real eager for an ego boost."

"You are free to leave. Just know that I won't offer this opportunity again."

"Why? Why aren't you just telling me to fuck off? That's kinda what I expected here."

"So, do you know anything about chess or are you completely ignorant?" Zettai asked instead. His gaze didn't waver as Misa thought over her options. Okay, screw it. This was basically what she wanted anyway. She might as well go with it.

"I know that the queen is really good and that the horse moves weirdly," she said. Zettai looked as if her words physically pained him, but valiantly pushed past it. What followed next was a rather curt series of instructions about the goals of the game and how each piece moved. He never repeated himself, and Misa felt like she was mostly just nodding along.

The games, because Zettai insisted on several, went about as well as she expected. That is, she was thoroughly beaten. There was not a chance in hell that she could have actually won, but he seemed pleased by the time he finally sat back in his seat. Misa only relaxed when he made no move to set up the board again.

 **Zettai:** Seems my theory was correct. Naturally, of course, but it's always good to get confirmation.

 **Misa:** You gonna share your theory, or do I have to guess?

 **Zettai:** Sumire told me of your exploits. I simply wished to test your intellect for myself.

 **Misa:** Sorry to disappoint you.

 **Zettai:** Oh?

 **Misa:** My partner is the brains of the operation. I just stand around and look pretty.

 **Zettai:** I find that very hard to believe.

 **Misa:** Aw, are you saying that you don't think I'm pretty?

 **Zettai: …** Don't try to be cute. It's not nearly as endearing as your limited mind thinks it is.

 **Misa:** Annnnnnd there's the insults. Like clockwork.

 **Zettai:** It's hardly my fault that the masses can never hope to measure up to me. It is amusing to watch them try, yes, but only mildly.

 **Misa:** Anyone ever tell you that you're a dick?

 **Zettai:** Please, I do read. But what does it matter? Thanks to me, my family's company is more successful than ever. That would hardly happen if I took things like _feelings_ into account.

 **Misa:** You guys sell soda? It's hardly a matter of life and death.

 **Zettai:** It's soda right now. There's no reason to be complacent.

 **Misa:** Today, soda. Tomorrow, the Ship?

 **Zettai:** Don't you worry your pretty, little head about it. It would hardly concern a criminal like you, anyway.

Zettai left the conversation at that, leaving without even bothering to say goodbye. Misa stared at the seat that he had just left for a few, long moments. He wasn't the most pleasant person to be around, and he was very insulting, but there were also moments where he seemed almost… not impressed because probably nothing impressed him, but pleased, maybe? She shook her head. Maybe she should have followed Sumire after all.

* * *

 **Zettai's Profile Card: Entry One**

This should be obvious, but Zettai sees himself as a cut above nearly every other person on the Ship. This is probably why he seems completely unconcerned about other people's thoughts or feelings, especially if they get in the way of his apparently very lofty goals.

* * *

Misa cleaned up the chessboard and put it away before leaving the lounge herself. Her growling stomach led her to the kitchen. If there had been a set time for a group dinner, she had obviously missed it. The room was empty except for Satsuki, who sat curled over a plate of sushi. She nodded in greeting but otherwise said nothing.

Misa ordered a bowl of chicken soup from the machines and joined the astronomer once it was ready. "You don't mind if it sit here, right? Be kinda awkward if we at opposite ends of the table saying nothing."

"I don't mind silence," Satsuki said quietly.

"Oh. Probably should have guessed that."

They were silent for a few minutes while they ate. Misa's soup was too salty, which was annoying, but she probably should have seen it coming after the quality of the eggs that she had for breakfast. But while Satsuki seemed perfectly content to just sit there, the silence made Misa a bit antsy. She technically could sit in silence, but it had to be with someone that she knew and was comfortable with. That wasn't the case here.

"So… what did you do all day?" she asked. The question hung in the air for a moment while Satsuki took a bite of her food.

"Fujiko dragged me around places. We did a lot of group things. Apparently, I need to have a support system," she said, her tone turning sardonic on the last sentence.

"Sounds exhausting. Especially for someone who likes the quiet," she said. The other girl nodded with a small smile.

"I might need to just stay in my room tomorrow. I get…" she trailed off and looked back down at her mostly empty plate. Misa waited for her to finish her sentence, but the end never came. The smuggler switched tactics.

"Don't suppose you've seen Shoma at all, have you? You two might get along."

Satsuki looked confused. "I'm not sure if I've met him. Was he the one with the red headphones?" Misa nodded. "No, I haven't seen him. Or talked to him at all. I guess that's why my profiles aren't complete."

"He's the Ultimate Gamer, apparently," Misa told her.

"Oh."

"But yeah, I was just wondering if people had seen him out yet. Guess not."

"No."

Satsuki finished her meal and stood. It felt a little bit like she was trying to run away from the conversation, but Misa tried not to take it too personal. Tried, being the key word there. "Good night," she said. Misa waved as she left, and finished her dinner in silence.

Breakfast the next morning was a far more social affair. Everyone sat in the same seats as yesterday, since apparently people have this need to be consistent in their seating arrangements, which definitely wouldn't get awkward at all once the bodies started dropping. Misa didn't even bother to correct herself. One day without murder was fine. But two days was when the idea started to creep up on people. Presumably. Even if someone decided to commit a murder the moment Monokuma announced the rules, it would still take them time to plan it out and choose a victim.

But that was neither here nor there. Misa forced herself instead to pay attention to the discussion that Hoshina and Kotoko were having. They were apparently in charge of Team Support System, and needed to find some kind of group bonding activity to do.

"Hmm… how about the art room?" Kotoko asked. Hoshina hummed softly as she considered it.

"That would be nice. Art is generally stress reducing, and we don't have any particularly talented artists that could lead to feelings on inadequacy or inferiority," she said with a nod. "Will you come with us this time, Misa?"

"Yeah, we missed you yesterday," Kotoko quickly agreed. Misa wasn't quite sure how they could miss her already considering that they barely knew each other – she was charming, but not _that_ charming, even she knew her limits, mostly, sometimes – but she grinned and nodded anyway.

"Sure. Got nothing better to do."

"Great," Hoshina said with her gentle smile. She turned to catch Miyu's eye and nodded. The genetic engineer immediately brightened, her eyes positively sparkling. Misa's grin absolutely did not soften into a smile. Nope. Definitely not.

"Oh! Science people!" Misa said, leaning halfway onto the table in order to get their attention. Ryuu gave her shoulder a shove in order to keep her from leaning directly into a plate.

"What is it? Do you need help?" Tsuyoshi asked with seemingly genuine concern. Misa quickly shook her head.

"Nah, not really. Just had a question for you guys that is probably stupid but needs to be asked anyways. Can Monokuma teleport? Because we can't do that yet, right?"

Shouko immediately burst out laughing. She mimed wiping away tears. Misa didn't really think that what she said was all that funny. "Only the genius of Doktor Sakamura could make such a thing!"

"D-does that mean that you've m-m-made it?" Itami asked. He had his teddy bear in his lap and was absentmindedly rubbing one of its ears. Shouko deflated slightly.

"Nein."

"It's not really my area, but I haven't heard of anything like that," Tsuyoshi said thoughtfully. Miyu nodded.

"Yeah. I have some friends who are inventors and dabble in those areas. No one is anywhere close to that kind of technology," Miyu agreed. "Why? Did you see Monokuma yesterday?"

If anyone wasn't paying attention before, they were now. Misa shrugged and leaned back in her seat, aiming for casual and not quite sure if she completely made it. "Uh, yeah. He came into my room and we talked for a minute or two before he disappeared." The tension in the air skyrocketed.

"Whatcha talk about?" Fujiko asked, leaning forward in her seat. No one stopped her from dipping her sleeve into some syrup.

"Nothing really. He just showed up, threatened me a bit, said some vague shit, and then left. Look, it was no big deal. I'm more worried about the fact that he could enter my room without using the door. And no, I didn't find a hatch or anything. Trust me. I looked."

"You must have missed it," Ryuu said, although he sounded pretty unconvinced.

"Maybe Monokuma is a ghost or a demon or something!" Rudolph said, his eyes wide. "That would explain how he can disappear! And how he trapped us here!" Zettai sounded pained at the very suggestion, and most of the more… scientific minds at the table had looks that varied from pity to confusion to annoyance.

"But… ghosts don't exist. Right?" Ryo asked, head whipping around as he looked for confirmation. "And definitely no demons! They aren't really real! Right?"

"Probably," Ryuu muttered, shrugging when Misa caught his eye. "What? I've seen some weird shit."

"Okay, this panic is helping no one," Miyu said. Sumire nodded. "We can add the Monokuma question to the list of things that we need to figure out, but we're not getting anywhere here."

There were quiet agreements from the table and breakfast continued. Still, it was pretty awkward. Misa had a sinking feeling that every group meal was going to be awkward. At least, it should be. If they got to the point where everyone was completely comfortable with each other, then that meant that they had been stuck here for far too long.

Finally, everyone finished eating and the groups started to break up. Satsuki went back to her room, like she said that she would yesterday. Hoshina went to deliver food to Shoma and just generally check on his wellbeing. Zettai, Shouko, Ryuu, and Sumire went off to do their own thing, and everyone else headed to the art room. Miyu quickly fell in step with Misa.

"Monokuma threatened you?" she asked quietly. Her hand lightly touched Misa's elbow. Misa grinned at her, which only made Miyu's frown deepen.

"Relax. I was just messing with the camera in my room. It's no big deal." She bumped her shoulder against hers. "I'm fine. He didn't touch me. He can't, remember? Only you guys can."

"No one's going to be touching anyone," Miyu said, and really that was just asking for trouble. Misa very carefully poked Miyu's cheek.

"Touch."

"Hey!"

She poked her shoulder.

"Touch again."

"Misa, I swear – "

"Touch. Touch. Touch."

"Fine! Touch!"

And it just devolved from there. By the time they made it to the art room, Misa's arm was sore from where Miyu poked her too hard and they were both out of breath from laughing and trying to dodge each other. Which was slightly concerning. Misa thought that she was in better shape than that. Apparently not, judging by how fast her heart was beating.

The art hang out wasn't really all that well organized, but it was surprisingly fun. The quieter people gathered together to sketch things or paint, the louder, more… _explosive_ personalities decided to craft makeshift sculptures and see how far they could drop them before they shattered, and Misa went straight for the wet clay, giggling quietly to herself as she squished a lump of it in her hands. Messing with it gave her hands something to do as she rotated between the groups, not really staying with any one of them for too long.

It was… a little weird. People seemed to have formed groups surprisingly quickly. Or, maybe it wasn't so surprising given the circumstances. But they had kinda formed without her. Misa had no problem talking with basically anybody; the drifting between groups didn't really bother her. But everyone was closer to each other than they were to her, which was just… weird. Even Miyu. She had Tsuyoshi and Misa had… she usually had her partner.

But there was no point in worrying about it now. If she didn't like her social standing, she would just have to change it. She surveyed the art room, rolling her clay into a ball. He would be a good choice. Friendly, excitable, and innocent enough that he would probably vouch for her if things went bad. Perfect, really.

Misa pressed her ball of clay flat against the table before walking across the room to join Rudolph. He wasn't necessarily near any of the others, quietly looking through a book that he had pulled from his bag while making notes in a small notebook. Misa slid into the seat next to him with an easy grin.

"'Ello. What's up?"

"Oh! Hi, Misa!" Rudolph said with a bright smile. "Just looking for inspiration for my next book." He shifted the book so that Misa could look at it. Each page was devoted to a different supernatural creature, with numerous, detailed illustrations that accompanied a short blurb explaining what the creature was. It was admittedly pretty creepy.

"You're thinking about writing even now?" she asked, idly flipping through the pages until she got to sirens and mermaids. Rudolph nodded enthusiastically.

"Yep! This whole thing is like one big inspiration! And it's not like we have a TV where we can watch movies or something. Ooh! Maybe I could write a story for you! Do you want to look through the book with me and pick your favorite creature?"

Misa laughed. Damn, she had forgotten just how energetic he was. But still, she nodded and scooted her chair over so that the pair of them could easily see the book. Rudolph insisted at starting at the beginning, and he wouldn't let Misa decide on a creature until she saw all of them. And, of course, he provided commentary and pointed out his own personal favorites to use too. But he was quick to remind her that she didn't need to pick those, she could pick any one that she wanted. She eventually chose the kitsune, mostly because they looked cool and could shapeshift.

 **Misa:** You really like this stuff, huh?

 **Rudolph:** Yep! Ever since I was nine.

 **Misa:** Your parents let you see horror movies that young?

 **Rudolph:** Well… technically my older brother showed me them. But they weren't scary!

 **Misa:** Really?

 **Rudolph:** Yep! It was just really, really cool! So I wanted to write my own things.

 **Misa:** Huh. That's kinda cool, I guess. You were a lot younger than I would expect, though.

 **Rudolph:** Why? How old were you when you started smuggling?

 **Misa:** …Old enough.

 **Rudolph:** Hey, that's not an answer!

 **Misa:** Older than when you started your career.

 **Rudolph:** That's still not an answer.

 **Misa:** So, what was the first movie that your brother showed you?

 **Rudolph:** Oh! _The Ring_. Have you seen it? It's really good! One of my favorites!

 **Misa:** Is that the one with the videotape and then the girl crawls out of the TV?

 **Rudolph:** Yep! I just thought that scene was so cool! It was such a surprise, and it really helped send the theme about the anxieties over technology home. If you're going to have a twist, that's how you do it!

 **Misa:** Yeah… I just thought that it was a scary scene.

 **Rudolph:** That too!

There was a loud and sudden crash. Misa and Rudolph whipped around to see Ryo on the ground, his legs tangled up in a chair. The adventurer laid there, dazed, as Kat and Kotoko rushed over to help him up. Misa decided that this was a good enough place to end their conversation. Rudolph nodded happily and smiled at her, promising to have a draft of her short story soon.

* * *

 **Rudolph's Profile Card: Entry One**

Rudolph's love of horror started when his brother showed him _The Ring_ when he was nine. He thought that it was the coolest thing ever, and really like how one of the later twists supported the overall theme of the movie.

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Misa asked Fujiko. The navigator had been hovering around Ryo as if she wanted to do something but couldn't figure out what.

"He fell!"

"Yeah, I heard that part. I meant how?"

"Oh, he jumped off the table so that he could drop his creation from a higher height. But he went out instead of up. I really thought that he would have a better sense of direction than that!"

Misa wasn't quite sure what a decent sense of direction had to do with anything, but nodded anyway. By this time, Ryo had made it onto his feet, a goofy grin on his face.

"I'm okay, everyone! Don't worry!" He sounded so damn happy about it that it brought a smile to Misa's face. "Let's do it again!"

"No, please? Sorry, I just don't want anyone getting hurt," Kotoko said, gently grabbing Ryo's arm so that he didn't immediately climb back up onto the table. Ryo's shoulder slumped forward. "I'm sorry…"

For whatever reason, Misa's eyes landed on Miyu. Miyu playfully shook her head and rolled her eyes, as if to say _What can you do?_ Misa smiled.

* * *

 **I just want to take a quick moment to thank everyone that's reviewed so far. I really do appreciate all of your kind words, and they are great motivation for me. So if you liked the chapter, drop me a line and tell me! If you didn't like the chapter, drop me a line and tell me that too!**

 **Next week, the motive is announced!**


	7. Chapter One Part III

**Hello again! I hope that you are all having a very lovely day so far. Or will have one if it's just starting. :)**

 **liammarklh88: Haha, well I give you permission to question the use of teleportation in your stories as well. But yes, I'm quite fond of my girl as well. Even if writing banter drives me up the wall sometimes. But I really enjoy hearing your thoughts/opinions on each of the characters that gets a focus. I'm pretty sure that I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Glad you're still enjoying it! :)**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Thank you so much for like... well, basically everything you wrote. Not going to lie, your review gave me serious motivation to sit down and do writerly things. But yes, sadly, a murder does have to happen eventually. Especially when you realize that one happens every fourish days in the actual games. Which is really not a lot of time when you think about it. It feels longer, but it really isn't. Thanks for reviewing! :)**

* * *

Misa stuck around the art room for a little bit longer before ducking out with the excuse of getting a snack. She sighed, the tension in her shoulders melting away as the noisy chatter of the group got further and further away. Well, most of the noisy chatter.

"Yo, Mi-Mi! Meeesa! Hannah Solo! Slow down. Damn, you're fast."

Misa turned to see Kat running after her, his speed hampered by his prosthetics. There was a short list of questions that she could ask, but settled for, "Hannah Solo?"

"Yeah. You know, like Han Solo. But you're a chick. Obviously. Unless I'm really misreading things."

"You're not."

"Exactly." He stopped in front of the science lab and waved her over. "But before you go _poof_ and vanish to go do _whatever_ is that you do with Bathroom Buddy and Chess Queen – "

"Why do I feel like I should be offended by that implication?" she asked. Kat stuck his tongue out at her.

"I wanted to get your thoughts on some ideas I had. You know, for the space you found. I know that you guys said no booms or anything like that, but... we still have options."

"Options?" Misa echoed, shifting her weight to her heels. A spark of excitement shot through her. It had almost felt like the idea of getting out of here and escaping was just that, an idea that wouldn't actually see reality. Yeah, she had found a hidden room, but they couldn't actually do anything with it. "You sure these won't end with us being blown out into space? Because that would suck."

"Don't worry. None of my art will ever hurt anyone," Kat told her, his usual mischievous nature vanishing. "That's my one rule." Misa's gaze flickered down to where she could just see the metal joints peeking out from over Kat's socks. The explosives technician looked away, one hand awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "So, you coming? Or are you too good for little, old me?"

"Don't pout. I'm coming," she told him. Kat punched the air excitedly and ducked into the science lab. Misa shook her head and followed him inside to a lab table where various contraptions that were almost certainly explosive in nature were laid out. A piece of paper with the words "DON'T TOUCH, APEFACE" was taped to the side.

Misa took a seat next to him, momentarily pausing to check for a whoopee cushion, and propped her head up with her hands. "Now go slow. I usually just transport this stuff. I don't actually set it off." She paused. Kat looked at her. "Okay, fine. But it was only once! And that was still mostly accidental."

"One of these days, we're going to get drunk and swap stories," he said. It startled a laugh out of her, and she nodded.

"If one of these things work, I'll buy the first round," she said. Kat nodded readily enough and clapped his hands together.

"So, for your, heh, ultimate viewing pleasure today…"

It was immediately obvious why he was known as the Ultimate Explosives Technician. The guy knew his stuff, and had no problems talking about it. He carefully went through all of his ideas, which ranged from a smoke bomb to see where the air flow was into and out of the possible room, a very, very, very small, localized explosion that would leave a hole the size of a thumb nail (Misa quickly vetoed that one), something that only looked like it would cause a lot of damage in the effort to get Monokuma to maybe step in and reveal something, and finally and landmine that would 'non-fatally' electrocute and stun anyone who exited the possible, secret room through a possible, secret doorway.

It was… a lot of information. Enough so that by the end of it, Misa's head was swimming with facts, figures, and possible ways that everything could play out. Kat noticed sometime around hour two and smiled sheepishly, muttering an apology under his breath. Misa waved him off, but took the opportunity to direct the conversation towards less mentally intensive things.

 **Misa:** So I guess you come up with your own explosives a lot?

 **Kat:** Yeah, but I do that less now. Government work is mostly deactivating stuff before it ruins a lot of people's days.

 **Misa:** And you like that? Working for the leadership?

 **Kat:** Yeah, of course! No problems here!

 **Kat:** Okay… maybe it's a little hard sometimes. But I get to help people and make their lives better.

 **Misa:** That's… very idealistic of you.

 **Kat:** What? You saying that a delinquent like me can't want to do good on this Ship?

 **Misa:** No, no, I just… I'm surprised that you care so much about it. I thought that you'd be in it just for the fun of it.

 **Kat:** Don't get me wrong, I do love the big booms and the sparkles and all that. Matches my explosive personality. But that shouldn't be the only reason to do something.

 **Misa:** I don't know. Maybe you're right.

 **Kat:** Why? What's the reason you got into smuggling?

 **Misa:** What are you talking about? It's what I was born to do.

 **Kat:** That's not an answer, Miss Solo.

 **Misa:** I… Fine. It's what my partner was already doing when I met him. I saved his life, he broke me out of house arrest, and we've been running together ever since.

 **Kat:** This partner got a name?

 **Misa:** Doesn't everyone? Don't look at me like that. I'm not just going to blurt it out with cameras around. Never know who's listening.

 **Kat:** That's a little paranoid, don't you think?

 **Misa:** I don't know. A little paranoia can be good for the soul. Especially in my line of work.

 **Kat:** Fiiiiiinnnnneeee. Be that way.

 **Misa:** I will be that way.

The conversation stalled there, and Misa stood, stretching her arms above her head. "Okay, but in all seriousness, all this is really cool. You should show some of the others. See what they think about it."

"Thanks, I will. Really, I just want all of us to get out of here. Alive and preferably not mentally and emotionally scarred."

"Preferably," Misa said. "See ya around, Kit Kat."

"Hannah Solo."

* * *

 **Katashi's Profile Card: Entry One**

Kat is currently using his talent in service to the leadership. It's difficult, but he genuinely enjoys improving other people's lives. He thinks that people shouldn't only do things for the fun of it.

* * *

She was already halfway to the lottery room when she remembered that she had meant to ask him about his tattoo. Oh well. That would have to be a conversation for next time. Right now, she just wanted to swing by to check on her babies and then maybe try to steal a quick nap before dinner.

However, the lottery room was not empty when she arrived. The Ultimate Patient sat on the stool in front of the prize-giving contraption. Misa watched silently as he inserted a Monocoin into the slot and pulled the lever. The lights lit up, the sounds… sounded, and something tumbled along the tunnels into the prize box. Itami smiled happily and reached in to claim his prize. His joy quickly faded when he saw that he got some kind of very trashy romance movie. At least, Misa assumed that that was what it was. A hot, shirtless dude was dramatically holding a beautiful woman in a white dress. That usually meant trashy romance.

Or maybe a porno.

Monokuma wouldn't give them porn. Right? Right. Why the hell was she thinking about this anyways?

"Romance not your thing?" she asked. Itami yelped and flinched hard enough to tumble off the stool. It landed on the ground with a loud _clatter_. Itami had tried to catch himself on one of the displays, but failed miserably. Still, it was enough so that he landed on his ass as opposed to his head. Misa tried very hard not to laugh. "Sorry. Didn't mean to spook ya."

"I'm not sc-scared," Itami told her as he pushed himself to his feet. "I j-just didn't hear y-you." He carefully inspected his elbows, but it seemed like the bandages on them took the worst of the damage. Besides his pride, nothing seemed to be hurt.

"I'll be sure to announce myself next time," Misa said. She picked up the movie from where it had fallen onto the floor. " _Sleepless Ship Nights_ ," she read aloud. "Experience the heart-stopping, forbidden romance."

"Yuck."

Misa grinned. "I actually don't remember this coming out. So it's either old, or really indie." She flipped it over and scanned the back. "Hmm… I don't see the release date or anything."

"Y-you can k-keep it. If you want. You d-don't have to."

"What? You don't want to watch uh… Captain Makoto and Chief Botanist Takara passionately fall in love?" Itami firmly shook his head. "Your loss." She hesitated for a second and smiled. "Thanks."

Itami ducked his head, but otherwise said nothing. His eyes widened though when Misa tucked the movie into her inside jacket pocket. "Where did y-you hide that? Or p-p-put that, I mean."

"The benefits of a bulky jacket," she told him with an easy shrug. "Lots of pocket room."

"B-but y-you can't even see it."

"I know. The benefits of a bulky jacket with extra padding."

"Oh."

The pair stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. Itami looked like he wanted to say something, but remained quiet no matter how long Misa waited. She really should just excuse herself and be on her way – her guns were still safe in this glass prison, she did what she wanted to do here – but Itami's slumped and nervous body posture tugged at her heart.

"Listen, do you want to go find Miyu or Tsuyoshi or someone?" she asked. "If they've left the art room, they're probably in the lounge?"

"N-no!" Itami said, far too loudly and quickly. His face flushed red and he looked down at his feet. Misa blinked in surprise. Okay then. She thought that they were friendly but apparently she had misread the situation. Although she really couldn't think of a reason why Itami would have such a negative reaction. Both of those people were perfectly friendly and nice, fairly unintimidating too. It's not like she suggested that he go and hang out with Zettai or Ryuu.

"Okay then," she said slowly. She looked out into the hallway and sighed. Oh, screw it. "Do you want to hang out instead then? Go for a walk or something? I mean, we just have the big circle, but…" she trailed off with a shrug.

"If you w-want," he said. Even though his tone and face remained indifferent, there was no mistaking the happy, little light in his eyes.

Misa nodded and they went out into the hall together. It was actually a fairly pleasant walk. They made meaningless small talk about what shows they've seen recently. Misa waved at people whenever they passed them. Itami took out his teddy bear and hugged it to his chest as they walked. It was fairly peaceful, but Misa eventually called an end to it once she noticed Itami stifling his second yawn within ten minutes. They stopped right outside his door, the bright white number three hanging over their heads.

 **Misa:** I would hate to have white for my room. It'd be way too bright.

 **Itami:** It's like a h-hospital.

 **Misa:** Yeah, it kinda is. I guess you're used to that, though. I bet it must feel like home.

 **Itami:** I d-don't know. I guess s-so.

 **Misa:** … you don't like it, do you?

 **Itami:** N-no. I, um, I mean… I w-want a n-normal life.

 **Misa:** I don't know about that. Trust me, normal is pretty overrated. It gets boring.

 **Itami:** Better than m-my life now.

 **Misa:** Well, yeah. Anything would be better than being kidnapped by a psychotic teddy bear.

 **Misa:** But I get the feeling that you weren't talking about right now.

 **Itami:** No.

 **Misa:** Why? Was your life really that bad?

 **Itami:** Nobody actually l-liked me. I j-just have something t-that people want is all.

 **Misa:** Come on, I'm sure that's not true.

 **Itami:** I-it is. They just w-want my b-blood.

 **Misa:** Sounds like vampires to me. No? Not funny?

 **Itami:** Y-you don't g-g-get it.

 **Misa:** Hey, look, it was a bad joke. I –

Misa shut her mouth with a sharp _click_ as Itami went into his room and closed the door on her face. Alright then. That was obviously not her finest moment, but she didn't think that she had done anything to deserve such a cold and sudden shut down. She obviously said something wrong, but what?

* * *

 **Itami's Profile: Entry One**

Itami doesn't seem to really like his talent, or his life for that matter. He seemed to imply that the Killing Game was better than being in a hospital. He's very cynical, claiming that people "just want my blood," and grew angry when Misa made jokes about it.

* * *

Still a little uncertain and discombobulated, Misa finally returned to her room. Her duct tape covering was still firmly in place on the ceiling, which drew a small smile from the smuggler. At least that still worked. She lifted up on her toes as she stretched, groaning as her joints popped and muscles complained. Ugh, what she wouldn't give to just be able to sit in a bath and soak until everything was completely relaxed. Bubbles and candles included.

But she only had a shower to work with, so it would have to do. Misa quickly stripped down, undid her braid, and grabbed a fluffy, red towel to wrap herself up in. The shower room was empty and silent save for a steadily dripping sink faucet. She fully turned it off and hopped into one of the showers.

Misa turned the water as hot as it would go, not caring if it was scalding. It still felt good. She wasn't quite sure how long she just stood there under the spray, but eventually the water turned lukewarm. She sighed and quickly washed up. Her skin was a nice pink color by the time she finished, and she felt much more alert and human.

Her new, good mood lasted all of two minutes. The door leading to her room was locked. No matter how hard she tried, it simply wouldn't open. Misa closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door with a groan. It must be after six. The doors had switched over, meaning that she was locked out.

"Great," she muttered, turning around to lean her back against the door instead. Okay, well at least there was an obvious solution here. She just had to cut through one of the guys' room to get to the hall, and then she could go into her room from there. Unless she had locked her door behind her. Did she? She couldn't remember. She always made sure that it was locked when she was sleeping or whenever she left it for the day.

Whatever. There was nothing that she could do about it now. That would just have to be a potential problem for Future Misa. Well, hopefully Five Minutes From Now Misa. She shook her head and ran a hand through her wet hair. Okay then. New question. What room should she duck through? It felt a little uncomfortable to just go into someone's room without asking, especially if they weren't already in there. Plus she didn't want to accidentally wreck someone's barrier if they had actually bee smart enough to make one. Zettai probably made one. Or maybe his arrogance just made him think that he was untouchable. Ryuu definitely built one. He had dealt with enough killers and would-be killers and maybe killers to know to be careful.

Really, there was only one person that Misa knew had to be in his room. He was also probably one of the last people who would let her in. Misa took a deep breath and made sure that her towel was covering everything. Then, she counted around the circle until she found the proper door. She stepped carefully around the pool of water still draining in the middle of the room, went up to her chosen door, and knocked twice.

Thirty seconds passed. She knocked again, louder this time, making sure that the door shook. There was no way that the soundproofing could hide that.

Another thirty seconds passed.

"Oh, come on! It's not like I'm going to kill you," she muttered.

Finally, the door cracked open far enough for a dark eye to peer out from very messy hair. Misa grinned her most charming grin. It didn't really seem to work.

"Hi, Shoma. Good to see you, you know, alive and stuff. Anyways, I'm locked out. Mine if I," she titled her head towards him, "slip on through?"

"Yes," he said flatly.

"Yes, you mind, or yes, I can?" Misa asked.

"Go away," Shoma told her. Misa quickly pressed her body against the door in order to keep him from fully closing it. "Go away!"

"You're really just going to abandon a poor girl dressed in nothing but a towel?" she asked. The pressure against the door relented for a moment, and Misa relaxed, taking the opportunity to push it open a bit more. She only got a couple of inches before Shoma stopped her.

"What do you want?" he asked. There was a sharp edge to his words that almost sounded like desperation.

"Just to go back to my room! I'm getting cold, and I'm wet, and your room has the shortest walk back to mine."

"Use Ryo's. He's too stupid to have blocked it off."

"Are you really just going to stay in your room, shunning everyone? It's only going to make you look suspicious whenever someone dies."

"And letting you in will change that?" Shoma scoffed. For a moment, Misa thought that she was talking to Zettai. But then his tone immediately softened. "Trust me. This is best for everyone."

"Why?" she asked. Silence. "Come on, you know I'm a stubborn bitch." That earned her a slight chuckle. Misa gently eased the door open far enough that she could stick her head and shoulders through. She glanced over his room. Her eyes widened. "What the – "

"No!" Shoma yelled and slammed the door close. Unfortunately, Misa's body was in the way, which meant that the door slammed close on her left shoulder instead. Misa barely had time to cry out before Shoma shoved her back into the shower room and slammed the door closed.

Misa just stood there, staring at Shoma's door. Everyone's room had a specific color. That had been more than established. She had red, Itami had white, Hoshina had pink, she was pretty sure that Sumire had silver… etcetera etcetera etcetera… but everyone had one color. One. Shoma had two.

Black and white, split neatly down the middle. White on the right side, black on the left side. Just like Monokuma. Just like that stupid locked door that they couldn't get through. Just like basically anything that was associated with despair, or the Tragedy, or just general badness.

"What the fuck?" Misa asked, loudly enough so that her voice echoed.

What the hell made Shoma special enough to get that kind of treatment? He was just some gamer. Yeah, the Ultimate one or whatever, but still. His talent was nothing special. He wasn't anything special. Well, no, obviously he was someone. Either that or Monokuma was purposefully trying to screw with them. Which was entirely possible.

No, that was definitely possible, and probably the most likely explanation here. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully. It would be… bad if there were something more than that. Especially since she had no idea what that thing would actually be.

Regardless, she should tell someone about this. Right? Like… people should know, especially if Shoma was the only one with two colors in his room.

Misa bit her bottom lip. She really _should_ tell someone. If Tetsu were here… She shook her head. She already knew what Tetsu would do, what he would tell her to do. And he tended to be a pretty smart guy. She shivered, wrapping her towel tighter around her.

"Owww..."

Misa looked down at her shoulder. It was already starting to bruise. She gently touched it, sucking in a breath through her teeth when it stung. Alright, ice first. Well, clothes first and then ice. She could figure shit out after that.

She counted around the circle again and headed towards Ryo's room. As much as she hated just walking in without permission, Shoma was right – he was probably stupid enough to leave it completely unblocked. Misa knocked on the door and waited, but there was no response.

Misa cracked the door open. "Anyone in here?" she asked. There was no response, and the room was empty when she opened it further. The bed was unmade, and dirty clothes were thrown everywhere. Everything was a deep forest green. It was actually a rather nice color to have in a bedroom. The adventurer was lucky.

She double-checked her towel one last time and ducked out into the hall. And, of course, almost ran right into Fujiko and Satsuki. Both girls stared at Misa, one of them concerned, the other very confused.

"Hello, Misa," Satsuki said. "You look…"

"Basically naked?" Misa supplied.

"I wasn't going to say it, but yeah," Fujiko said, tilting her head to the side. "And that's not your room."

"Nope. It's Ryo's," Misa said. "I, uh, got locked out my room. It switched over to the guys while I was in there."

"Oh. That makes sense. I think? You need to be more careful!"

Misa grinned at the navigator. "Yeah, I've realized that."

"We shouldn't keep her," Satsuki said, gently placing a hand on Fujiko's upper back.

"Oh. Oh! Right. You probably want clothes."

"What? You don't think I could make this my new look? I think I could pull it off," Misa said, planting her hands on her hips. But only for a moment before she had to grab her quickly slipping towel. "Yeah. I'm gonna," she pointed in the direction of her room. "See you guys around."

"Bye!"

"Goodbye."

Thankfully, Misa's door was unlocked when she got there. She quickly shut the door behind her and locked it before leaning her head against it. She misjudged the distance and scrunched up her head in pain when it collided fairly hard. Great. Now she had a matching throb in both her head and her shoulder.

"Oh, what am I going to do?" she asked. Dressing and fixing her hair was a slow process, but it gave her time to think. Of course, she was no closer to a plan than when she started, but at least it felt like progress. Kind of.

Misa had just set her brush down when a now familiar chime echoed through the air.

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

"Ahem! Please report to the auditorium for a very special announcement!"

The speaker clicked off, leaving nothing but silence and a feeling of dread creeping up Misa's spine. She grabbed her jacket, hating how her hands trembled as she did so. She stared at them until they stopped and called a grin onto her face. She met Shouko in the hall. She didn't look like she really wanted to continue walking.

"Underling."

"Shouko. How's the robot army rescues effort coming along?"

"They will be here shortly, ja." Misa wished that she could believe that. "Do not worry, underling. None can stand against the terrifying force of Doktor Sakamura and her army!"

"Who said I'm worried?" Misa asked, sticking her hands deep into her pockets. With a deep breath, she started off towards the auditorium. Shouko followed only a step behind. The air was different this time. The last time they were all gathered here, they were mostly confused. Maybe a little annoyed. Now, the tension was palpable. People were annoyed, even angry, but there was also no mistaking the fear. It choked all the oxygen from the air.

All sixteen of them stood in that room, ignoring the chairs. They stood in groups of twos and threes, except for Shoma who sat in the corner. He stared at Misa when she entered. Misa stared right back. Finally, he looked away, apparently satisfied by what he saw. Miyu left her group of Tsuyoshi and Itami to stand next to Misa. The smuggler lightly bumped her with her non-injured shoulder, earning a smile that didn't quite reach Miyu's eyes. The room was silent, waiting. Until it wasn't.

Monokuma's laugh filled the air, and he leapt out from behind the podium, twisting through the air until he landed on top of it. Miyu went very still next to her.

"Have you been enjoying your stay so far?" the bear asked, bringing up his paws to cover his mouth.

"Just get to the point," Zettai said. To his credit, he sounded absolutely bored with this entire thing already. Misa noticed that he was standing with Sumire and Ryuu.

"Aw, that's not very nice. It's a simple question!"

"I like my room," Ryo said. His eyes went wide when the entire room suddenly focused on him. "Are yours not as nice?"

"I don't think that's the problem," Hoshina told him.

"Oh."

"Fucking idiot," Ryuu muttered.

"Oh, shut up!" Fujiko told him. Ryuu shook his head.

"You telling me that ain't true, kid?"

"You don't need to be such a jerk about it!"

"Guys… is this really the best time to do this?" Kotoko's timid voice tried to cut through them.

"Upupupupup. I knew you guys were my favorites for a reason!" Something about the way Monokuma said that put Misa's teeth on edge.

"What are you talking about?" Sumire demanded. "Explain."

"Well, you guys are really getting into the spirit of the game!" Monokuma said. He reached behind him and pulled out a white envelope. "I called you all here you give you a motive, but it turns out that I don't need to! Four of you are already plotting to kill someone!"

Misa's stomach dropped to her feet. Four? Four people? That was a quarter of the group. She knew that there would be some but that… that just felt like a lot. All around here, people were calling out in fear, dismay, disbelief.

"N-no! D-don't hurt me!"

"Da fuck are you talking about?"

"Alright, who's the filthy murderer? I'll swear I'll make you pay for even thinking it!"

"Heh… heh… very funny. Leave the jokes to me, okay?"

"Who dare to even _think_ about threatening the Iron Maiden with death?"

"Everybody just… just calm down! He's lying!"

"Nooo! No! I don't want anyone to die!"

"It's not true." That was Miyu, speaking low enough so that only Misa could hear. "Trust me, please. It can't be true." Misa nodded slightly

"Everybody. Shut. Up."

Zettai's snarl cut through the air, the command in it unmistakable. The room immediately quieted, expect for the occasional quiet cries and sniffling. Rudolph had burst into tears, and Itami looked like he was fighting them. Zettai's hands were curled into fists, and while Misa was too far away to be sure, she thought that she saw his jaw twitch.

"Is that all, Monokuma?" he asked. The bear nodded.

"Yup! Oh, guess I don't need this motive anymore." He giggled to himself and quickly ripped the envelope into a hundred pieces. They gently swayed to the ground. "Well, guess I should be going! Good luck, potential blackened." His voice turned down right malicious on that last sentence, and with one, final, belly-shaking laugh, he disappeared behind the podium again.

Silence reigned for about three seconds. And then pandemonium broke out. Fujiko stalked right up to Ryuu and shoved her finger in his face. Ryuu drew himself up to his full height. Satsuki hovered anxiously behind them, her face deathly white. But she still seemed pretty steady on her feet, so it didn't look like she would faint again.

"If you kill someone, I swear - !"

"You'll what?" he asked, clearly mocking her. "And why da fuck do you think I'd kill someone? Huh, kid?"

Nearby, Hoshina and Kotoko were trying their best to console a still weepy Rudolph and visibly trembling Itami. Kat was laughing, just a bit too loudly to be normal. Honestly, it was borderline hysterical.

"Wait, was he telling the truth?" Ryo asked. "No one would really kill anyone right? Some people here are carnivores, but they wouldn't…" Tsuyoshi smiled weakly and patted Ryo's back.

"No, we'll all be fine. We'll be fine. Just fine," he said, although his voice wavered.

Shoma was gone. He must have made a beeline straight for his room the moment Monokuma left.

It was hard for Misa to hear anything over the pounding in her ears. Four people. Possible more now that people knew that they were threatened. A plan. She needed a plan. A way to be careful, but also allies that she could reasonably trust not to shove a knife into her back. Her guns. She would feel so much better if she just had her damn guns!

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she turned her head to see Zettai staring at her. He and Sumire stood in the doorway. He tilted his head out towards the hall, a clear invitation to come with them. Misa nodded slightly, and something caught between a smile and a smirk appeared on his face. She grabbed Miyu's elbow before she really had a chance to think about it.

"Come on," Misa muttered. Miyu immediately nodded. The two of them slipped out of the auditorium after Zettai and Sumire, leaving the growing anger and fear of the auditorium behind. They all followed Sumire to her room. The fifteen on the door was painted regal silver.

"I don't recall inviting her," Zettai said. Misa grinned.

"Well I did."

"Stop it," Sumire said. "It's good to have a liaison from the other group anyways. And I trust Misa's judgment."

Misa's grin widened as Zettai sighed. "Thanks, Sumire. That's actually kinda sweet of you to say."

"What did you just drag me into?" Miyu whispered as Sumire unlocked her door and ushered everyone inside. Misa shrugged. The four of them settled into a rough circle. Sumire claimed her desk chair, Zettai leaned against the closed doors of the wardrobe, and Misa and Miyu sat on the immaculately made bed. Sumire steepled her hands and smiled grimly.

"I think it's obvious why we're all here."

"You want to talk about the motive," Misa said.

"I want to talk about our next steps," she corrected. "And these are the best minds that I could think of the create that." She paused. "Miyu included, of course."

"Of course," Miyu said mildly.

"So we have four killers," Zettai said. He rolled his eyes at the look on Miyu's face. "Potential killers. Better?"

"I don't think there's any," Miyu said. "Monokuma is tricking us. Think about it. The number four is just too perfect. Not large enough to seem unreasonable, but you still think there's a credible threat. With those odds, one of us, here in this room, is planning a murder. I don't believe it."

"If that's true then…"

"Then Monokuma wants us scared. He wants us not to trust each other." Sumire nodded slowly as Miyu finished her sentence. Zettai laughed.

"And what difference does it make? So that bear makes people paranoid and distrustful. That's his motive. Tell me, has a motive ever been unsuccessful before?" Misa slowly shook her head. "No. There hasn't."

"Well, you were looking for a way out, right?" Miyu looked to Misa. "What's the progress on that?"

Misa shook her head again. "Okay? Kat talked to me earlier about some things we can try with the dead space I found."

"He did?" Sumire interrupted. Misa thought that she sounded almost offended, but she could just be imagining it.

"Yeah. He wanted my opinion on some explosives and possible traps. And relax, I vetoed the really dangerous stuff."

"You would have the most experience with that," Zettai said.

"I would. Thank you for noticing, Bathroom Buddy," she said sweetly.

"Okay, so we have that plan," Miyu said in an attempt to bring the conversation back on track. "Anything else?"

"No, and that plan isn't a solid one either," Sumire said with a small frown. She started counting on her fingers. "Too many things can go wrong. And I doubt that escape would be that easy, unfortunately."

"Let us get to the point then," Zettai said. He shifted his weight from one hip to the other. "You're viewing this as a chess game, right? You want to know which pawns we can sacrifice."

"Hey, wait!"

Zettai cut Miyu off with a look. "It's going to happen. We might as well influence who it'll be. Right, Sumire?" The cold smugness in his voice caused Misa's shoulders to creep up to her ears. But Sumire nodded.

"You're… not wrong. If we must lose pieces, then we should minimize the damage."

Miyu still looked incredibly unhappy about it, but finally she nodded. When everyone's eyes turned to Misa, she just shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I've been waiting for someone to die since the first announcement."

"Really?" Miyu asked.

"Yeah, kinda."

"Obviously, the four of us are included in the important group. I would also add Ryuu. Don't look at me like that, Zettai. He makes a good knight."

"Rudolph is useless. He would be a preferred death," Zettai said. The bluntness of it was a little surprising, and it was clear to see that Miyu was knocked off guard as well. "As is Kotoko. They can both be easily replaced by others."

"Agreed. We can also add Satsuki and Fujiko to that list. It's not like we've left the Ship, so I doubt we'll need either of their talents," Sumire said. There was a slight hesitation in the beginning, but it disappeared after she said their names. Misa ignored her growing nausea.

"Kat needs to stay," she said, earning an immediate nod from Miyu. After a few seconds, Sumire and Zettai agreed as well. "And Shoma." Zettai made a disbelieving noise deep in his throat.

"And why would we need some antisocial gamer?"

"I… just… just trust me on that one, okay?" Misa said. No one looked convinced. It would be easy enough to just say what she saw in his room, but she couldn't get the words out. "There's layers there."

"Fine," Sumire said. "Thoughts on Shouko? I know that she's… a lot. But if we could get her the proper parts and equipment?"

"Yeah, but I honestly think that a lot of people will want to kill her. If only to shut her up," Miyu said. "If you do actually want to protect her, you'll have your work cut out." Sumire inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, how are you planning on doing that, by the way?" Misa asking, raising her hand in the air like she was back in school. "Assign all of the important people a bodyguard? What happens at night? Or when they go to the bathroom? Or –"

"We get it," Zettai interrupted.

"It's not about protecting as much as… making other victims more attractive," Sumire said. "And even then, there are… limits, I'm sure. Unfortunately, no one here is a goddess. Or god."

"Shall we finish the list?" Zettai asked. "Tsuyoshi? Redundant. We don't need a scientist when we already have two engineers and an explosives technician."

"Tsuyoshi has – "

"Yes, yes, we know that you two are friends. It doesn't change the facts. Which brings us to Itami."

"He stays," Miyu said firmly. "That's not up for debate."

"My, my, you feel strongly about this one," Sumire said, bringing her hand up to hide her smile. Miyu shrugged.

"You don't understand. He's famous in the medical research field. He literally cannot get sick. He's the key to beating disease once and for all! We can't lose him."

Itami's words about people just wanting him for his blood ran through Misa's ears. No wonder he didn't want to be around Miyu. She wanted his blood too. "She's telling the truth," she said quietly. "We talked about it earlier today."

"In that case, Hoshina should be safe too," Zettai said. "She looks out for him. And it would be good to have a psychologist around once things deteriorate further."

"Which leaves Ryo," Sumire said. "An adventurer. I have no idea what that means."

"He scouts planets once we find them," Miyu explained. "At least, that's what he said. He can apparently tell whether or not it'll be a good home by talking to the animals."

"Talking to the what now?" Misa asked. Miyu held her hands up in surrender. "Okaaaay then."

"So he's stupid and insane. Great," Zettai said flatly. "I don't see the point in protecting that."

"I agree," Sumire said. She frowned, tapping a finger along her jaw. "That leaves us with six pawns." She nodded. "I would have liked a few more, but we can work with that."

"At the very least, that should get us a little more than halfway through this game," Zettai said. "We each should choose someone, limit the time that they're alone, and also drive wedges into the group dynamic when we can. Direct hostility away from the rooks, bishops, and knights. And, of course, we can… reassess everyone's worth at a later time."

"Oh, so that's when you get rid of me and Ryuu," Misa said with the widest grin she could muster. "Come on, I know the score. I'm a smuggler. I'm hardly useful."

"You've already proven that you are," Miyu said. She glared at Sumire and Zettai, as if daring them to disagree.

"So far, yes," Zettai said, mild as you please. "Like I said, we can reassess later."

"Someone's going to punch that satisfied look off your face. And I really hope I get to see it," Miyu told him.

"Let me know if you ever want to try."

"I thought we agreed that this group was set," Sumire said, standing up in order to physically put herself between them. "We have enough enemies without fighting ourselves."

"Relax, Miyu. This is just how Bathroom Buddy and I flirt," Misa said, laughing at the absolute death glare that was sent her way.

"Yeah, well you deserve better," she told her. "Excuse me." The genetic engineer roughly pushed past Zettai and disappeared out into the hall. Sumire gave Zettai a look that would make Misa's mother proud.

"Really?" she asked.

"Did I ever say anything wrong?" he countered. "The answer is no." Sumire slapped his shoulder.

"Misa, will you…?"

The smuggler was already heading for the door. "Yeah, yeah. I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Have fun, you two."

Misa scrubbed a hand over her face as soon as the door closed behind her. She heard a low chuckle.

"That bad, huh?" Ryuu asked. He was leaning against the wall next to the door. "Miyu had the same look."

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting on my marching orders," he said with a one-sided shrug. "Figured you four would figure something out."

"I don't know. If we did, it's nothing good," Misa said. She scrubbed her hand over her face again. "Fuck."

"Well, shit," Ryuu said.

"Yeah." She shook her head and forced a grin. "Did you happen to see where Miyu went?" Ryuu pointed down the hall towards the kitchen. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, kid."

She gave him a lazy salute as she started jogging after her runaway genetic engineer. Ugh, she really hoped that she wasn't going to go tell everyone what they just discussed. That would be awkward. Very, very awkward.

* * *

 **And here we are. I actually think that this might be the longest chapter that I've written on FF. But anyways, let me know what you think of the motive! And I have a poll up for who you think our very first victim will be. I know. I don't want any of them to die either. But die they must.**

 **Until next time!**


	8. Chapter One Part IV

**A very quick heads up before I get to my usual review replies. I'm bumping up the rating of this story from 'T' to 'M'. I realized that it's going in a much darker direction than I had originally intended, and since we have murders and executions coming up soon, I thought that it would be best if I changed the rating to more accurately reflect things.**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Yeah, that was a bit grim, wasn't it? I don't think I realized quite how chilling and messed up that scene was until people pointed it out to me. Which probably says something concerning about me as a person. Anyways, I'm glad that you liked it!**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Yeah, I'm equal parts excited and dreading actually moving into the murder and investigation portion of this story. I really like what I have planned, but also I'm worried about pulling it off. I'm glad that you loved the** **motive! I'm pretty proud of it myself. :)**

 **oddlyillregular: Welcome back! We'll have to see if any of your murder predictions are correct. But you're right, it's fun that Ryo's color matches your favorite one! That must be a sign that I got it right! ;)**

 **Lupus Overkill: I look forward to reading the rest of your reviews. And thanks for Sumire! Honestly, she's been a blast to write. Although I get the feeling that not many people like her anymore for some strange reason. Really, I can't think of why that would be the case...**

 **liammarklh88: Honestly out of everyone who got an FTE, Itami surprised me. I didn't realized that he would leave such a big impression on people! But it was a lot of fun to explore that and see more of what's going on with him. I'm glad you're liking how I'm portraying him! :)**

* * *

"Miyu!"

"No."

Misa grumbled under her breath and quickened her pace. The other girl wasn't running, but she was certainly walking with a purpose. An angry purpose. Which, while definitely understandable, was potentially a very bad thing. For both of them. Misa finally managed to grab her wrist, forcing her to stop.

"Let go of me," she snapped.

"No."

"Yes!"

The hallway was way too exposed to have this conversation. Anyone could be hiding around the corner listening to them. Misa pulled them through the closest door into the girls' bathroom. Thankfully, it was empty. It would be awkward if they had to quickly run into the boys' bathroom instead. Misa immediately dropped Miyu's wrist. The genetic engineer immediately tried to push past her back into the hall, but Misa wedged her foot in front of the door. Miyu glared at her, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Move. Get out of my way!"

"Nope. Not until you calm down," Misa told her, matching her stance.

"I am calm!" Miyu yelled. Misa grinned, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh yeah. You definitely sound it," she said.

"Don't make fun of me," Miyu snapped.

"Of you?" Misa asked. "Never." And yeah, okay, maybe her tone was pitched more towards the flirtatious and suggestive, but come on. Miyu was obviously attracted to her, and flustered was better than angry and stupid. The tips of Miyu's ears turned pink. She scowled, as if mentally scolding herself, and spun on her heel. Misa watched silently as she stalked up and down the length of the bathroom, growing angrier with each step. Okay, so that plan obviously didn't work well.

"This is just fucking bullshit!" Miyu yelled, throwing her hands up into the air. Misa winced a little at the volume. "Assigning worth to people? Deciding who lives and who dies? Everyone deserves to live! No matter how 'important' other people think they are!"

Misa made a soft, noncommittal noise, leaning against the smooth wood of the door. If Miyu heard her, it did nothing to stop her rant. Not that anything Miyu was saying was wrong, technically speaking. Morally and ethically? Completely in the right here. What just happened was awful, brutal. Misa could and did recognize that. You would have to be completely amoral not to. But that didn't mean that this was the best response at this moment. In fact, it was probably one of the very worst ones.

"And another thing! Sumire! You want to talk about useful talents. How is chess useful? Please explain it to me, because I am honestly at a loss. Fucking hypocrite. She's just waltzing around like some kind of untouchable queen when really she was the most useless talent of them all. You're really going to tell me that she's more important that Tsuyoshi?"

There was a quiet gasp on the other side of the door, followed by the sound of someone losing their balance and stumbling. Misa closed her eyes and leaned her head back until it banged against the door. She held up one finger and Miyu froze.

"Shit," Misa said before turning in one smooth motion and yanking the door open. The eavesdropper looked up at her with wide, blue eyes, the natural blush on his face deepening.

"Hah. Hey, Misa," Tsuyoshi said after a long pause.

"Hey. Whatcha doing there?" Misa said. Something in her voice made him suddenly look very, very nervous.

"I… I heard Miyu yelling. I wanted to make sure that she was okay."

"Very noble of you."

"Thank you?"

Misa smiled and dragged him inside the bathroom by his upper arm, and, after looking around to make sure that no one else was sneaking up on them, firmly shut the door behind her. She herded everyone towards the far end of the room. She didn't want to have to drag someone else in here too. The room was crowded enough already.

"Ow! You're hurting me," Tsuyoshi said, wrenching his arm free of her grasp. He held it close to his chest as he rubbed it. Miyu shot her a look. Misa glared right back.

"Okay, this is exactly what I did not want to happen," Misa said, pointing at the scientist.

"What you didn't want? Or what Zettai didn't?" Miyu asked sarcastically. Misa glanced at Tsuyoshi out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, he already heard us. We might as well tell him everything!"

"I really only heard a little," Tsuyoshi said. "I can – "

"Zettai and Sumire and Misa deemed who was important in the group and who was not important. Their goal is the make sure that the unimportant die first," Miyu said flatly, as if reciting from a textbook. Misa rolled her eyes, annoyance flaring up uncomfortably in her chest.

"Hey, don't act like you're an innocent party in all of this either!" she told her.

"I only protected people!"

"Yeah, so did I!"

Tsuyoshi looked between them before ultimately focusing on Miyu. To his credit, he had on a brave face. "But not me," he said quietly. I didn't make the cut." All of the anger immediately melted off Miyu's face. Misa tightened the grip that she had on hers, refusing to let it slip away.

"I tried. I did. Zettai shot me down," Miyu said, reaching out to place a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder. Tsuyoshi stepped back before she could actually touch him.

"You didn't try very hard," Misa muttered under her breath, but apparently it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Miyu looked like she had been slapped. Tsuyoshi just looked vaguely green.

"That's not fair," Miyu told her. Misa held her hands up in mock surrender.

"I'm just saying! All of this righteous anger is great, but I don't remember seeing any of it while we were actually talking about this," she said, and yeah, okay, maybe now she was starting to sound a little mean. But it was late. She was tired and hungry and her shoulder was throbbing like a bitch every time she moved and now she potentially had to worry about four people trying to kill her, more if word about what they had discussed – what Misa had agreed to – got out.

"Because it makes sense!" Miyu finally yelled, and understanding finally clicked in Misa's mind. The smuggler sighed and looked down at the floor. "Okay? I hate it and it's awful, but what they said made sense. We need to think about what's best for the group. And we need to acknowledge that we might not all make it out of here." Her voice was quiet now, all of the anger drained away. The only thing left was exhaustion and a kind of pure, desperate note. But that wasn't directed towards Misa. That was solely for Tsuyoshi. The pair stared at each other; a silent conversation that Misa wasn't privy to.

"We're all getting out of here," Tsuyoshi finally said. He actually sounded like he believed it too, the poor dear. "I have faith in us, in our group. I'm sure that Hoshina and Kotoko are already coming up with a plan."

"It's not going to work," Misa told him. He firmly shook his head.

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I kinda do."

Tsuyoshi shook his head again. "May I leave now? Or are you going to grab me again?" he asked. Misa shrugged.

"You gonna tell anyone about this? Because that would be a very, very bad idea. Would totally destroy any kind of unity and trust that you're trying to build. Just saying." Not to mention that Zettai and Sumire were probably not the best enemies to have in this situation. She smiled brightly when the scientist nodded.

"I'm aware of that," he said. Misa looked at him expectantly. "I won't tell anyone. But if someone asks, I won't lie either."

"That works," Miyu said quickly before Misa could get a word in. "Uh, thanks, Tsuyoshi. I really am sorry. About, well, everything, really."

"We can talk about it more later," he told her without making eye contact. Misa bit her bottom lip. The scientist reached the door, and her inner optimist decided to speak out.

"Hey, Tsuyoshi," she said. The boy paused. "If you know anything about explosions, Kat's working on a way to maybe get us out of here. You should talk to him tomorrow." Tsuyoshi looked back at her over his shoulder, his brows knit together in confusion. He left the bathroom without another word, leaving the two girls in silence.

"Miyu – "

"I – "

They were both interrupted by the now familiar bell of the announcement. Misa looked up at the ceiling, mouthing along with the words.

"Ahem! It is now nighttime. Good night, everyone! Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Monokuma sang. The announcement clicked off with a burst of static.

"Shit, I never had dinner," Misa said.

"Oh, is that why you're so grumpy this evening?" Miyu asked. It was a little hard to tell, but Misa assumed that that was supposed to be a joke. Regardless, crisis successful averted. At least for tonight. She would have to watch her tomorrow at breakfast to make sure that Miyu didn't spill the beans to everyone, but that was honestly a remote possibility. Thankfully, her moral outrage seemed to have passed.

They ducked out of the bathroom, and Misa headed straight to the kitchen. Hopefully, the food machines didn't shut off at nighttime. That would kinda suck. She hated it when she had to go to bed hungry. It had been awhile, but the sensation still brought up memories that she preferred to forget. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly depending on how you looked at it, Miyu followed her. The other girl was still quiet, obviously stuck in her own head a bit, but the company was still nice.

Misa waited until she got something warm and sweet into her belly before reaching out with her foot to nudge Miyu. The genetic engineer startled before shaking her head with a small laugh.

"Apologies. I was thinking," she said.

"I can see that," Misa told her. "Mind letting me in on them?" Miyu smiled sadly and waved the question away. "Alright then. How about I ask you something else? I'm realizing that I know absolutely nothing about you." That seemed to get her attention.

"Only if I can do the same. Turnabout is fair play, after all," she said. Misa hesitated, taking a moment to have another bite of food. But Miyu was looking at her, open and curious, and finally Misa let out a dramatic sigh.

"Oh, fine."

 **Miyu:** Great! I'll go first then.

 **Misa:** Hey! I thought that I was going first.

 **Miyu:** No, then you'll just weasel your way out of actually saying anything meaningful.

 **Miyu:** So, my question is… do you have any siblings?

 **Misa:** No, it was just me growing up. What about you?

 **Miyu:** I'm one of six.

 **Misa:** Seriously? Man, your parents milked the Repopulation Program for everything they could, huh?

 **Miyu:** That wasn't the only reason! I think Mom always wanted a big family.

 **Misa:** So who's your favorite?

 **Miyu:** My favorite what?

 **Misa:** Sibling! You gotta have one.

 **Miyu:** No, you don't! I love all of my brothers and my sister.

 **Misa:** Okay, fine. Who were you closest to? Are closest to.

 **Miyu:** That… would probably be my younger sister, Himari. She's thirteen.

 **Misa:** That's a tough age.

 **Miyu:** Yeah…

 **Misa:** Uh oh. Now you sound sad. What did I do?

 **Miyu:** Nothing. Nothing. Okay, I think you owe me three or four questions now.

 **Misa:** Trust me. I'm really not that interesting. I'd much rather hear about Himari.

 **Miyu:** I don't believe that. But it's okay. I can wait for you to open up.

Misa forced a grin and shook her head. It was always uncomfortable to be directly called out like that, but it was what it was. Miyu could wait for as long as she wanted. It wouldn't really change all that much. She didn't need to spill all of the details of her personal life in order to trust someone. She just needed them to do what they say they're going to do. It really wasn't that complicated.

Misa stood, saying something about how she needed to put her dishes away and that they should really get to bed. Miyu looked a little disappointed, but agreed. The pair parted with a gentle reminder to lock their doors for the night.

* * *

 **Miyu's Profile: Entry One**

Miyu is one of six siblings. She is incredibly close to her younger sister, Himari. For some reason, Miyu looked and sounded very sad once Misa mentioned that thirteen was "a tough age." Miyu deflected any follow up questions.

* * *

Misa was mentally and physically exhausted when she finally got back to her room, but that didn't stop her from noticing the small, white piece of paper that was shoved under her door. She picked it up and collapsed onto her bed in a heap, taking a moment to toe off her boots. It was just your standard piece of paper, probably taken from the art room. _Katashi_ was written on one side in very neat cursive. The writing style was large and loopy, and Misa took a moment to wonder if it belonged to Sumire or Zettai.

Apparently, she was supposed to guard and protect Kat. Should be simple enough. She was going to check in on the progress that he was making with his devices anyway. She could just hang out and offer a hand. And it wasn't like he was a hardship to be around. Not like Shouko. Misa smiled. She felt bad for whoever was assigned to the mad Doktor.

Misa flipped the paper over. "Huh." This side only had the hand drawn picture of the rook chess piece. Was that supposed to be Sumire's signature or something? It would be a lot simpler to just put an "S" or something like that. Although, if it was a signature, then wouldn't it make more sense to put it on the same side as the message?

Misa crumpled the piece of paper into a ball and tossed it towards the corner of her room. There was no reason to worry about it now. She could just Sumire about it tomorrow. That would be the easiest and simplest thing to do.

The night passed far too quickly. Misa was still yawning by the time that she dragged herself to the dinning room and plopped herself down in her usual seat. She looked around the room and frowned.

"Is it just me, or are we missing people?" she asked. She had gotten here late too. Honestly, she thought that she would be the last one in.

"Yeah. Satsuki didn't really want to leave her room today," Fujiko said, her shoulders slumped. "She's still pretty freaked out. And Shouko just yelled German at me."

"That sounds scary," Ryo said. Fujiko laughed and nodded.

"Itami said that he would eat later," Tsuyoshi said. Misa nodded. Yeah, it would make sense that he would be scared too. "I don't know if anyone has seen Rudolph, though?"

"It's because he's dead," Ryuu said. Everyone turned to either look or glare at the bounty hunter. Fujiko is particular looked pissed off. "Fucking hell. It was a joke."

"I'll check on him after I check on Shoma," Hoshina said with a gentle smile. "I am sure that everyone is just fine."

"Exactly," Kotoko agreed. "And we will continue to be just fine."

Misa saw Zettai smirk out of the corner of her eye, but nobody verbally disagreed with them. Breakfast was fairly quiet for the next few minutes. The usual suspects tried to encourage conversation and general keep the mood light, but it didn't really work all that well. People were tense, nervous. And these were the people who were brave enough to risk exposure and contact with other people. Sumire and Zettai looked perfectly collected and unconcerned, but they were the exceptions. Even Ryo had managed to pick up on the aura of the room and was appropriately jumpy.

But still, this existed as a kind of balance. An uneasy one, sure, but there was still a kind of equilibrium and peace. Until Hoshina stood up and cleared her throat.

"Here we go," Ryuu muttered.

"I understand that everyone is scared and worried," the psychologist began, "and that's perfectly normal. These emotions are a natural reaction to everything that we've been through over the past few days. We need to accept these emotions, but also work through them."

"What a pretty speech," Zettai said dryly.

"Shut up, Bathroom Buddy," Kat told him, flicking a chunk of bread in his direction. Misa covered up her laugh with a cough. Oh, she loved that nickname. So succinct. So elegant.

"Yes, thank you," Hoshina said, bright spots of color now high on her cheeks. "As I was saying, we're all strangers here. It's hard to trust someone when you know nothing about them, but trust is how we will all survive this." She looked at Kotoko, who gave an encouraging nod. "So today at noon, we should all get together and… simply talk to each other. Stop being strangers and start on the path of becoming friends."

"And we'll have desserts there too," Kotoko added. "Desserts and sugar always help."

Ryuu burst out laughing, although it sounded a bit forced to Misa's ears. The spots of color on Hoshina's face spread into a splotchy blush. Ryuu mimed wiping away a tear.

"What's so funny, Ape Face?" Kat demanded. This only earned another round of laughter.

"Ape Face?" Ryuu mimicked. "How about you leave the insults to the professionals, kid."

"Did you have a comment on our plan?" Kotoko asked mildly. Ryuu leaned back in his chair and shrugged.

"You mean besides the fact that it's fucking stupid?" he asked. "This hippie touchy-feely shit ain't gonna help anyone. It's just gonna make you an easy target."

"That's not true. If we all trust each other – " Ryuu interrupted Hoshina with a snort.

"Like that'll actually do shit. You know how I catch my bounties? Their friends and families give them up, usually for just a bit of cash. Doesn't matter if you trust someone, kid. They're only looking out for Number One. And survival's a helluva lot better than money. Besides, Misa agrees with me."

He smirked as he made direct eye contact with the smuggler. Misa felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. This was not how she wanted this morning to go. Sumire hid her smile from behind her teacup. Zettai's hands curled into tight fists.

"Don't be ridiculous," Miyu said, Tsuyoshi nodding furiously next to her.

"You don't believe that, do you?" Ryo asked. "You're a little scary, but you're not mean!"

"Why so quiet, Misa?" Ryuu asked.

"You know, before this morning, I actually kinda liked you," Misa told him.

"Did I lie?" he pressed. "Just trying to get a murderer's insight on this."

The room went absolutely silent. The only thing that Misa could hear was the roaring in her ears as the edges of her vision went fuzzy. She looked from Ryuu to a suddenly far less pleased Sumire. Interesting.

"Is it too cliché if I immediately say that I've never killed anyone?" she asked, placing her elbows on her knees so that she could prop her head up.

"Yeah!" Kat said. "Wait, no. Not that that was cliché. The yeah was for you not killing anyone."

"Don't be so quick, kid," Ryuu said. "I was thinking back, trying to remember the bounty that Misa here had on her."

"Is this really an appropriate discussion to have right now?" Kotoko asked. Her face was pinched with worry.

"You don't wanna know about someone who's planning a murder? Ya really are stupid."

"Ryuu, this really isn't going to end how you think," Misa warned.

"Ya threatening me, kid? Gonna put a bullet through my head like you did your boyfriend? What was his name again?"

Misa stood with enough force to knock her chair to the floor. In the back of her mind, she recognized that this was a very, very bad reaction. It only made her look guilty, would only make other people believe him. But that recognition was drowned out by the insistent urge that she leap over the table and choke the life out of Ryuu.

"Misa, what is he talking about?" Tsuyoshi asked.

"Nothing. He's making shit up," Miyu said.

"Does that reaction seem innocent to you?" Sumire asked.

"It seems upset and potent. Easily anger borne from grief," Zettai told her, and honestly, if Zettai was defending her, then she was screwed.

She was shaking. Trembling. The voices around her grew louder and louder as they argued, swirling around her without fully sinking in. And through it all was Ryuu, sitting there with that damn smirk on his face, watching to see what she would do next. She actually did kinda like him before all of this started. Sure, he was foulmouthed and had a bit of a temper, but there was still some kind of understanding between them. They both worked and lived in similar circles. Maybe that's why this hurt more than it should have. She hadn't deliberately tried to bond with him yet, but the idea was still there in her head. And then this had happened. Of course it did. She shouldn't even be surprised anymore.

"Excuse me," she forced out between clenched teeth before kicking her chair out of the way and stalking – _fleeing_ – out of the dinning room. She could still hear their voices yelling as she broke out into a run and burst into her room. The red walls weren't soothing or calming, but it fed into her anger and honestly? It felt good. Anger let her focus on Ryuu and how things went so very wrong so very quickly. It helped her push away the images of a smiling, purple-haired boy with a gap between his two front teeth. It helped her push away the sound of his laugh, or the fact that he tasted like chocolate during their first kiss. It helped her push them away and bury them deep, deep within herself where they couldn't hurt her anymore.

She sat on the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. Damn it. She was going to have the nightmares again. Fucking Ryuu. What the hell happened to her being important? This was not the plan! She was supposed to be safe for at least a little bit longer. Safer, at least. Apparently, Ryuu didn't quite get the memo.

Okay, that settled it. No more trying to make friends or allies. She just needed to stick to herself. She could protect herself that way. And if anyone tried to pin a murder on her, well, she would just have to find evidence to contradict that. It would be far too obvious anyway, and she liked to think that she was smarter than to commit a murder now that everyone thought that she was a killer.

Not that she was going to commit a murder anyway.

She wasn't.

She didn't just _do_ that.

She didn't.

She didn't.

She really didn't.

Her head jerked up at the sound of sharp, impatient knocks on her door. She pushed herself up with a groan, her muscles tight and sore from being in the same position for too long. Whoever was at the door knocked again, harder this time.

"Oh, shut up," Misa said. She opened her door a crack and immediately frowned. "What do you want?"

"Hello to you too," Zettai said as he straightened the cuffs on his suit. "Follow me."

"No."

"Must you always be difficult?" he asked.

"Well, sorry if I'm not exactly in the best mood right now," Misa snapped. Zettai leaned forward, his voice dropping to a hissed whisper.

"Believe me, that was not the plan. Ryuu was to push suspicion onto Fujiko. It is being dealt with."

"Yeah, well, I think the damage is already done."

"Don't be so quick to throw away your allies, Misa. Surprisingly, you've managed to cultivate a few. Even some who don't care about how much blood you have staining your hands." He straightened with a sigh. "Now, follow me. And don't make me repeat myself again."

Zettai turned and started walking down the hall, fully expecting Misa to follow him. Misa bit her bottom lip.

"Screw it," she said, already abandoning the one thing that she had just decided to do. She stuck her hands deep into her jacket pockets and followed him. They didn't have that far to go.

"I told you I could convince her," Zettai said as they approached the small group gathered in front of the hidden room that she had discovered.

"I didn't realize that it had become a competition," Sumire said, counting something off on her fingers. She inclined her head in greeting when she met Misa's gaze, her eyes slightly apologetic.

"Hannah Solo!" Kat yelled, throwing his arms out wide. "Glad you're here. And I mean it. Not just saying that."

Misa smiled despite herself. "Hey," she said. "Is that the smoke bomb?" Kat literally cackled. Well, that answered that question.

"We figured that we could start small, and then maybe work up from that," Miyu said, standing from where she was kneeling by the device. She gave Misa a small, unsure smile. Tsuyoshi continued to fiddle with it, not bothering to look up. Okay then. He probably believed Ryuu then.

"I just wanted to go for the big boom. It's what I'm known for," Kat said.

"I thought you were known for making things not go boom," Misa said.

"Well, I am _now_. I didn't always deactivate things. But anyways! We think the placement is good? I'd hate for this plan to go up in smoke."

There was a beat.

"Can we please get on with this without the awful puns?" Zettai asked. Kat's face fell.

"I thought that was a good one," Miyu reassured him. He still hung his head in defeat, but herded everyone a few steps away. Kat held up the detonator, his thumb poised over the big, red button.

"Fire in the hole in three, two, one." He pressed the button. Nothing happened. "Aw, come on!" He pressed the button again. Still, nothing. "Ugh, were one of the wires wrong?"

"…I thought you were the Ultimate Explosives Technician," Sumire said.

"I am."

He grabbed Tsuyoshi's wrist and dragged him over to the device with him. Tsuyoshi only put up minor complaints, mostly citing safety issues. Kat waved them away, but Tsuyoshi still stopped to put on his cracked safety goggles. And it was a good thing that he did. As soon as Tsuyoshi knelt down to look at the device, Kat's thumb clearly moved to a second button and pressed it. Black soot and smoke shot up into the air, hitting Tsuyoshi squarely in the face.

The scientist stumbled back with a yelp, and Kat burst into a fit of giggles.

"Sorry! Guess the reaction was delayed or something!"

"How childish," Sumire muttered. Miyu quickly helped Tsuyoshi to his feet, rubbing soot off of his goggles with her thumb. Misa was a bit more interested in watching the smoke. Most of it drifted up towards the ceiling, which was expected. But there was also some, if Misa crouched down and held her breath, that was pushed outwards away from the wall. If she followed it, and traced her finger along the wall in the right spot, maybe she could find a –

Sirens suddenly wailed through the air. Misa jumped a foot into the air, her hand naturally dropping to her holster.

"What the hell is that?" Zettai demanded just as Monokuma, dressed in a fireman's hat and holding a hose, appeared around the corner. The bear took careful aim and opened up the hose at full blast. A large, powerful stream of water slammed into the group, soaking everyone and everything in it's past. After ten seconds or so, Monokuma shut the water off.

"That was scary! You folks can't be playing around with fire like that! Didn't your parents ever teach you that doing so was… dangerous?" Monokuma asked.

Misa wiped the water from her eyes. "We weren't playing with fire. I'd thought your cameras would be able to see that."

"But there was so much smoke! And when there's smoke…"

"Okay, but did you have to soak us too?" Miyu asked. She looked fairly miserable with her makeup running down her face. Monokuma laughed.

"I was just trying to protect you. I would hate for one of my charges to do something that was hazardous to their health," he said, and the threat in his voice was clear. This was their one warning. Any further action could be considered vandalism. Monokuma sighed. "Aren't I such a caring and involved headmaster? Oh, wait. I guess this isn't a school." His face fell. "What's my title then? Do I have one? Such existential questions!"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tsuyoshi said flatly. At least the water had washed his face. Kinda. There were still black streaks across his cheeks and forehead.

"You know, I can tell that you really mean that," Monokuma said, placing a paw over his heart. "But you can't fool me! You got to do more than that for special privileges!"

"Haven't you rambled enough?" Zettai asked. "Begone, bear."

"Fine. I can see where I'm not wanted. No special privileges for you!" With a sniff, Monokuma bounded out of sight.

"Please tell me that wasn't pointless," Sumire said as she wrung out her turtleneck. Misa shook her head.

"There was definitely some kind of airflow away from the wall. Which makes me think that this isn't on the exterior hull."

"Why not?" Miyu asked. Tsuyoshi still wouldn't look at Misa. Fun.

"That would just suck air out into space. There's not much you can do to overcome that. So if air's being pushed out, then it should be safe to poke around. And through," Misa explained.

"Not with Monokuma watching," Zettai said, glancing up at the cameras.

"I agree," Sumire said. "We'll either need a sacrificial pawn, or make sure that Monokuma is distracted in some way."

"You like to use pawns, don't you?" Tsuyoshi asked. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. If there's nothing else we can do, I'm going to go get changed. Everyone should be meeting in the lounge soon."

"So you guys are still going ahead with the whole 'get to know you' meeting?" Misa asked as the scientist walked away.

"Yeah. It's still something to do," Miyu said. She hesitated for a second before adding, "You should come."

"Yeeeeaaaah, no," Misa said. "I assume Ryuu will be there."

"He might be," Miyu admitted. Misa nodded.

"And just guess for me here, but how many people seemed to take him seriously once I left?"

"Enough," Zettai answered for her.

"Idiot," Sumire said dismissively. "I honestly thought he was smarter than that."

"Obviously, your judgment was wrong," Zettai told her.

"Obviously," she snapped back.

Misa held up her hands for quiet. "Honestly, I think it's best if I just lie low for a bit. Let everyone calm down." She forced a grin. "Besides, if I see Ryuu right now I might do something really stupid."

"If you're sure…" Miyu said. She still looked unconvinced, but Zettai and Sumire were both supportive. Or, at least that's how Misa chose to interpret their expressions.

"Yeah. It's the best for everyone. Trust me."

And so, Misa spent the rest of the day in solitude. It was a little boring. Okay, very boring. There really was nothing to do, and she could only nap for so long. She was surprised that Shoma had managed to be a hermit for so long, but then she remembered that the lucky bastard had a gaming system. She wanted a gaming system. It would be better than staring at her walls.

At least she managed to find another Monocoin. It was hiding in the small gap between her dresser and floor. And yes, she was bored enough that she even checked under her dresser to see if there was anything there.

But the good thing about time is that it inevitably marches forward. Misa slept fitfully that night, plagued by the very nightmares she already knew would pop up again. And so, she was certainly not ready to face the morning when she was awoken from the middle of the first bit of peaceful rest that she managed to get all night.

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

"Nooooooooooooo," Misa groaned, burying her face in her pillow.

"Ahem! A body has been discovered!"

Misa immediately bolted upright, her heart caught in her throat. A body? What? No. Shit. This wasn't enough time!

"Everyone, please report to the shower room. Access has been granted to and from all bedrooms."

Misa stumbled out of her bed, fumbling with her socks and boots as she tried to pull them on. Okay, okay. She needed to take a breath and calm down here. Panicking and freaking out won't solve anything. She screwed up her emotional response yesterday. She can't do the same thing twice in a row.

She quickly shifted her desk out of the way and stepped into the crime scene, her heart hammering in her chest. There were only three other people there when she arrived, all huddled around something in the center of the lowered area of the room. Hoshina was kneeling down, her shoulders shaking with silent tears.

"What the hell? When I find whatever dirty murderer did this!" Fujiko yelled. Her voice was also choked with tears. Satsuki just stood there with her hand placed firmly over her mouth.

"Who is it?" Misa asked, her voice sounding hollow to her ears. She forced her feet to carry her forward as Fujiko and Satsuki parted so that she could see.

The body laid facedown on the floor, dried blood caking his hair and down the sides of his neck. If it wasn't for that, he almost could have been sleeping. His face was turned ever so slightly towards Misa. His eyes were closed, his face serene, devoid of any kind of pain or panic. Still, he was too still. There was no mistaking it.

 _Tsuyoshi Genda, the Ultimate Scientist, was dead._

* * *

 **Yep, that's right. We've lost poor Tsuyoshi. It was honestly a pretty difficult decision, but unfortunately, someone has to go first. Next up will be the investigation, which means it's time for a poll! Vote for who you think is the blackened on my profile. I'll have it up for the next two weeks if you rather vote after you see the evidence.**

 **Until next time!**


	9. Chapter One Part V

**Alright, everyone! It's investigation time! This is definitely the longest chapter that I've written so far, but I'm actually surprisingly happy with it. Hopefully you guys are too!**

 **liammarklh88: Tsuyoshi was rather nice. I honestly do feel bad for killing him, but like you said, someone had to kick the bucket. And a lot of people seemed to have enjoyed Miyu's roast of Sumire. It was certainly cathartic to write! Just as this chapter was pretty cathartic with regards to Ryuu~**

 **alucard** **deathsinger: Thank you! I love horror movies and would love to actually write one some day, so saying that is a huge compliment! And yeah, the plan seemed to go off the rails pretty quickly. How could that _ever_ happen, considering the people involved? ;)**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Yeah, poor Tsuyoshi. In hindsight, I probably could have foreshadowed his death a lot better, but it is what it is at this point. I'm really glad that you liked the chapter! :)**

 **TheUbermenschWriter: I really enjoyed hearing (well, reading) your preliminary investigation thoughts! We'll have to see if you're right! (And sorry again for killing Tsuyoshi! haha)**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Yeah, the scene where Miyu drags Sumire was a blast to write. Miyu is just fun in general, let's be honest. I'm glad that you think I'm doing a good job with her! Let's see if Misa will actually trust her at some point. And yeah, I was quite proud of the smoke pun. Zettai just doesn't have a sense of humor. He's lame like that.**

 **MasterSaixus: Yeah, it's always mixed feelings when a body drops. "Yay, it's not mine!" and "Aw, poor [insert character name here]!" A lot of people seem to think that the killer will be female. Let's see what the evidence says!**

* * *

"I can't believe this," Hoshina said, quickly wiping away her tears. She closed her eyes and almost visibly got ahold of her emotions. Misa knelt down next to Tsuyoshi's body and felt for a pulse. There was nothing there, of course. The coolness of his skin made that obvious.

"Who is it?" Misa's head snapped up at Miyu's question. She still hovered near her door where Fujiko and Satsuki blocked her view.

"Tsuyoshi," Misa said quietly.

Miyu squeezed her eyes shut. "Shit," she hissed just as a surprisingly high-pitched scream rang out. Hoshina leapt to her feet and rushed over to a visibly shaking Ryo. He just pointed at the body, unable to force actual, physical words out. Ryuu stood silently next to him, his face grave. Misa looked away the moment that they made eye contact. She wasn't ready for that quite yet.

Kotoko and Rudolph were the next to arrive. Kotoko let out a small, startled shriek when she first saw the body, but that was the extent of her reaction. She and Hoshina both quickly turned their attention to comforting Rudolph, who somewhat predictably started crying once he saw who it was. His tears and Fujiko's continued angry muttering were the only sounds in the room. Everyone just existed in this stunned or contemplative state, and while only a single word would break it, that would mean fully embracing and accepting what was before them. That Tsuyoshi, someone who just yesterday was living and breathing and smiling, someone who just yesterday had stood with his head held high while he said that everyone would make it out of this hellhole of a situation, was dead. Not just dead, but murdered. By someone else here, maybe by someone that they considered to be their friend or ally.

And so, of course, it was Shouko who broke that balance.

"What lies are – mein Gott!" All of the color drained from her face. Kat, Sumire, Zettai and Itami all filed in behind her. Kat lifted himself onto his tiptoes in order to see around the robotics engineer.

"Heh. Relax, Frankenstein," he said with a small laugh. Itami flinched at the sound. "That's not real. It's some kind of dummy! A body doesn't really look like that. Though seriously, guys, this is a super lame prank. And trust me. I would know."

"Of course you would," Zettai said. He sighed. "I can't believe someone was actually stupid enough to do this." Sumire stood silently at his side, her face completely blank. Still, Misa assumed that she was rejoicing inside. Tsuyoshi wasn't on their list of important people. Depending on who the killer was, their plan has worked exactly as intended.

"Yeah, shut it, Bathroom Buddy," Kat told him. "There's no way that's real. I mean… it – it can't be."

"It's real," Misa said flatly. She internally winced and carefully softened her tone. "Besides, I don't think Monokuma would have summoned us all here just for a stupid prank."

"You got that right!"

Everyone in the room jumped as Monokuma suddenly appeared. Misa quickly scrambled to her feet and turned so that the bear wouldn't be behind her. Monokuma stood with his hands behind his back, gently rocking back and forth. He had a sickeningly gleeful grin on his face. For the first time, Misa noticed Shoma leaning against the wall with his shoulders hunched up around his ears. When did he get here?

"You mean… it's not some kind of joke?" Kat asked. "Heh. Heh… Oh crap."

"No. No," Miyu said firmly. "This can't be true. What if he just slipped and hit his head? What if it was just an accident?"

"Doesn't look accidental to me, kid," Ryuu said with a huff.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Monokuma said. "Score one for the bounty hunter! Someone definitely caused poor, sweet Tsuyoshi's death." He mimed wiping away a tear. "They're always gone too soon."

"Scheisse," Shouko muttered. Misa had no idea what it meant, but agreed with the general feeling behind it.

"Alright, who is it?" Fujiko yelled, holding up her balled up fists. "Which one of you is a filthy murderer? I swear, I'm gonna make you PAY!"

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast!" Monokuma said, waving his paw at Fujiko. "Leave the punishments to me! Upupupupup! I have such a fun one for this particular blackened. You see, first, I would throw – " he cut off suddenly, clamping his paws over his mouth. "Oops. Almost gave away some pretty big spoilers there!"

"Sh-sh-shut up!" Itami told him, clutching his teddy bear tightly to his chest. "L-leave us alone."

"My, my, you're all such a rude bunch. And after I came here to help you too!" Monokuma said with a pout.

"What kind of help?" Sumire asked. "So far, you've done nothing."

"I'm bantering! People like the banter!"

"People?" Satsuki asked quietly. Misa looked at her in surprise. That might have been the first word she ever said in Monokuma's presence.

"Ya know," Monokuma waved his arms around, "people."

"Wait, I don't know if that makes sense," Ryo said, his brow crunching up in confusion.

"Sure it does," Monokuma told him. Ryo still looked confused. "But onto the main event. There has been a murder, which means that it's time for a thrilling class trial!"

"I d-don't want to," Itami said.

"Aw, you don't?" Monokuma asked, looking absolutely dejected. But that only lasted for a moment before his face turned vicious. "Well too bad! But before we have a trial, you all need to investigate. So then you can truly battle with all of the hope and despair you can muster!"

"How long until the trial?" Zettai asked.

"Hmmm… until I get bored waiting for you."

"That's not an answer!" Miyu told him. "What if we don't find all of the clues?"

"Then the blackened will be very, very happy," Monokuma told her. "But don't worry. I got a little something something to help you all on your way." He proudly held up an array of black and grey tablets that were smaller and thinner than their Monopads. "It's the famous Monokuma Files! All of the information you could ever want about the body is right here in one, handy spot." He placed them on the edge of the sink. "Good luck, everyone!"

With that, he hopped away and disappeared behind the sinks. Misa felt like she could suddenly breathe again. "So that just happened," she said.

"Do we really need to investigate?" Rudolph asked weakly. His tears had stopped, but he still looked like one wrong word would get them started again.

"No, if you want to contribute absolutely nothing to your own survival, please, go ahead be utterly useless," Zettai said with a scoff.

"Thanks, I will."

Fourteen heads turned as one to look at Shoma. He currently looked like he was deeply regretting ever saying anything, but it was too late now.

"Shoma?" Hoshina asked. She took half a step towards him.

"You don't need my help with this."

Hoshina firmly shook her head. "Of course we do! I understand that we're all scared but if we…" she trailed off as Shoma disappeared back into his room and loudly shut his door.

"Well then. That was… an interesting decision," Sumire said thoughtfully.

"I would call it suspicious!" Shouko declared, pointing to the ceiling. Apparently, a murder didn't dampen her theatrics for long. Ryuu just shook his head.

"Ya are forgetting that we already got a murderer," he said. Misa took a deep, calming breath. And then another one when the first didn't work at all. And then a third.

"I was waiting for that to come up," she admitted, forcing a self-deprecating grin. "I didn't kill Tsuyoshi. And blindly voting for me is just going to damn you all."

"Wh-what are you t-t-talking about?" Itami asked.

"It's one of the rules," Miyu said after a small hesitation.

"Rule Nine," Kotoko supplied.

"Right. But if we vote for someone who isn't the killer, then they win and we're all punished," she continued. "And I don't really think that it's the 'take away your TV on the weekends' kind of punishment."

"But remember that the blackened is punished if they're caught," Sumire pointed out. "My, my, I'd hate to be them in this situation."

"Yeah, well, what if you're just saying that to freak us out?" Fujiko demanded. "This is just some kind of criminal mind games!"

"Then I suggest that we finally start investigating," Zettai said. He sounded utterly bored with this whole thing, and Misa couldn't decide if that was comforting or not. "Before that damned bear decides he's bored."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but yes. That's a good idea," Miyu said. Zettai smirked, causing her to roll her eyes. She looked down at the body of her friend. "Tsuyoshi deserves the truth. No matter what it is."

"No matter what it is," Ryuu echoed. It sounded far more sinister when he said it. But it confirmed one thing for Misa. She knew that she didn't kill Tsuyoshi, and she didn't exactly have an alibi to prove that. So if Ryuu was going to continue to push the idea that she was a coldblooded murder, then she needed to be able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was wrong.

* * *

 **INVESTIGATION**

 **START!**

* * *

She might as well start with the Monokuma File. Maybe there was something in there that could point her in the right direction. She took one from the pile on the sink, taking a moment to pass a second one to Satsuki when the astronomer wordlessly held out her hand. She stepped to the side and turned it on. The first screen showed a black and white outline of Tsuyoshi's body. There was a large pink splotch over his head, indicating the rather visible head wound. She scrolled down.

" _The victim is Tsuyoshi Genda, the Ultimate Scientist. He was found in the shower room at 6:05 am. The cause of death was drowning. There is also evidence of a blow to the back of his head."_

Misa frowned and reread the small blurb again. That's it? That was barely even a paragraph! What the hell? This wasn't useful at all! Wait, okay. She read the paragraph again. The cause of death was drowning. That was good to know. But where was the time of death? That seemed pretty damn important.

"Oh, come on," Kat muttered, his head bent over his own Monokuma File. Okay, so she wasn't the only one to notice that then.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Monokuma File #1**

* * *

Misa looked around the bathroom and bit her bottom lip. Some people were starting to look around, but just as many simply stood there looking lost and confused. They had no idea where the start a murder investigation. Why would they? That wasn't something that normal people had to deal with. But even as she watched, Hoshina took a deep breath and walked up to Rudolph and Kotoko and gently persuaded them to investigate with her. Fujiko did the same for Satsuki. And even Itami, who Misa honestly thought would just sit in the corner with wide eyes, walked over to Tsuyoshi's body with halting steps and stood over it like some kind of guard.

Okay, Misa needed to get started. She took a deep breath and joined Itami. He was the only one near the body, which wasn't all that surprising. Even the great and might Zettai probably had some qualms about being near and touching a dead body. Misa wasn't as affected. This was hardly her first body. And besides, it wasn't that gory.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Itami asked as she knelt down by Tsuyoshi's head.

"Well, he drowned, right? But it's not like we found him with his head in the toilet." Itami went pale. "Sorry. Ignore me. I'm just thinking out loud."

"Y-you're w-weird."

"Yeah, probably." She paused. "Hey, I know that you two weren't exactly friends but you hung out a lot. So, sorry, I guess." Yeah, that sounded a lot less awkward in her head. Itami just looked away and hugged his teddy bear tighter. Right. Okay then.

Misa leaned closer to get a better look at the damage to the back of his head. It apparently wasn't lethal, but there sure was a lot of dried blood. Although head wounds did tend to bleed a lot. She carefully moved some of Tsuyoshi's hair out of the way, careful not to touch the edges of the actual wound. There was a straight, vaguely diagonal cut in the center of the sizable bump. Whatever had hit him must have had some kind of straight edge.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Back of the Head**

* * *

Misa frowned and moved her fingers towards the front of Tsuyoshi's head. The hair there was still damp. But not with blood. Her fingers were still clean when she pulled them away. But then what was it? Water? That would make sense considering that he was drowned.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Damp Hair**

* * *

"S-stop t-touching him!" Itami suddenly said, loud enough to draw attention from those nearby. Misa immediately held her hands up, glancing around to see who was watching. Great, basically everyone. "It's w-w-weird!"

"We need to investigate the body if we want to know what happened," Misa said. She was actually surprised with how steady and calm her voice was. "That's all I'm doing. And if everyone was smart, they would do the same thing."

"You're very comfortable over there, Misa," Ryuu said.

"Why don't you take your implication and shove it up your ass, Ryuu?" she asked. Someone to her right snorted. She couldn't quite tell who. "You're really not helping." Ryuu rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his investigation. Misa sighed and scrubbed a hand over her face. "Can I keep working, or will you yell at me again?" she asked. Itami shrugged without looking her in the eye. She took that as a yes.

There was nothing in any of his pockets, and none of his clothes looked disturbed. Which was good. That probably meant that there wasn't really a struggle. She didn't want to imagine Tsuyoshi fighting desperately for his life only to have the horrifying realization that he would lose. She looked back up to his face. No, it was calm and unafraid. It was a small comfort, but Miyu would probably like to know that he wasn't scared in his final moments. Actually, now that Misa really looked at it, there was no damage to Tsuyoshi's face at all. It was completely free of scrapes or cuts of any kind.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Tsuyoshi's Face**

* * *

Misa rocked back onto her heels and stood, ignoring the way that her knees popped. There was nothing else that she could find here. She needed to move on. She took a deep breath and looked around. At some point, she needed to get everyone's alibis. And give her own crappy non-alibi. Wait, might as well start here then since Itami wasn't really doing anything other than just standing there.

"Hey, Itami? You mind telling me what happened yesterday? You know, where you were and what you did?"

"I g-guess not. Um, I w-went to the m-m-meeting with Hoshina and s-stuff." He looked at his feet. "And T-tsuyoshi and I g-got into an argument s-so I went to m-my t-talked to Zettai f-f-first. And then I w-woke up early and went t-to the dining hall. Other p-people can v-vouch for me. T-that's it."

"You guys got into an argument?" Misa asked. Well, that was… convenient. And potentially very helpful, if only as something to offer up to muddy the waters if people seem intent of accusing her. Itami hesitated, his eyes wide. "Relax, I'm not accusing you. I'm just trying to figure out what happened since I was in my room basically all day."

"Because you k-k-killed someone."

"Because Ryuu is an asshole who – who brought up something very painful. And yeah, I reacted badly but…" Misa trailed off, her mind whirling, searching desperately for anything to say. Thankfully, Itami spoke up.

"He t-talk about my t-talent. And was angry w-when I s-said I didn't w-want to be a patient anymore."

"I heard that you can't get sick." Itami nodded miserably. "Okay. Thanks for telling me."

She gave Itami what she hoped was an encouraging smile and moved on. Kat and Ryo stood not far away, looking like they wanted to approach the body but weren't quite sure about how to do it. Kat was lightly holding onto the cross that dangled from his bracelet.

"Hey, Solo," he said.

"Hey, Kit Kat. Ryo. I don't suppose you guys mind telling me your alibis?"

"Alibis?" Ryo asked, tilting his head to the side like some kind of bird.

"Where you were and what you did yesterday," Misa clarified.

"Oh! Well, I woke up, had breakfast with everyone and Ryuu puffed up like a big, angry bird trying to scare someone away and then you ran away, but I don't think you're a killer, don't worry! Like I said, you're a little scary and you're like a stray cat, but you're not mean! But then I went to my room for a bit before Hoshina and Kotoko told me to come to the group-bonding thing. And then Itami started yelling – "

"Oh, yeah!" Kat interrupted. "Man, that was intense. I didn't know that Itami could even talk that loud."

"Wait, you guys were there for the argument too?" Misa asked. Kat nodded.

"Yeah, basically everyone was. Well, everyone at the thing. It was very loud. And I mean, I'm sure Ape Face probably told Chess Queen, who probably told Bathroom Buddy."

"Oh, and I saw Fujiko telling Satsuki about it!" Ryo chimed in.

"So basically everyone knew about this argument but me," Misa said. Kat nodded again.

"Basically. Well, Shoma probably didn't know either because he's kinda weird and anti-social. He only really talks to Hoshina, and she's way too nice to gossip." Ryo nodded in agreement. Honestly, these guys were a couple of bobble heads.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Argument**

* * *

"Um, hey, Hannah, Solo, whatever. Do you think you could, uh, sum up the body thing? It's… I know that it's Tsuyoshi but I can't make myself step one foot closer."

Misa quickly summed up her findings for a very grateful Kat and Ryo and was about to give her own alibi when Shouko stole the spotlight once again.

"Eureka! Haha, you thought that you could hide form the brilliance that is the Iron Maiden! How foolish." The robotics engineer was hunched over on her hands and knees, the multiple magnifying lenses on her glasses pulled into position.

"How foolish," Zettai repeated, although Misa had a feeling that he wasn't talking about whatever it was that Shouko just found.

"What did you find?" she asked. Shouko carefully picked something out of the floor tiles and held it up for all to see.

"The killer left behind white fibers!"

"How do you know it's from the killer?" Sumire asked, and yeah, that was a fair question. Shouko narrowed her eyes.

"I have searched every inch of this floor, and it is the only evidence I found," she said. "It must have been from a struggle between Tsuyoshi and his killer!"

Misa frowned. That didn't quite sound right. She hadn't found any evidence of a struggle on Tsuyoshi's body…

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **White Fibers**

* * *

Misa stepped away from the pair and directly into a puddle of water. She sighed and looked down at her now wet foot. She frowned. She was currently standing directly over the shower drain, which still had a small puddle of water around it. It was nowhere near close enough to reach Tsuyoshi's body, but it was in the process of being drained away, albeit incredibly slowly. She looked back at the body thoughtfully. It was lying inside of the recessed area of the showers. If a shower was running for long enough, the resulting puddle would be quite large.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **The Shower Drain**

* * *

Misa stepped out of the puddle, shaking off her boot to try and get the excess moisture out. Sure, her sock was already wet and therefore was a lost cause, but it was the thought that counts. Okay, now where? She checked the body, Shouko already checked the floor… She saw Hoshina, Kotoko and Rudolph clustered around the shower directly behind Tsuyoshi's body and wandered over in that direction.

"Should we look in other places?" Kotoko asked. "I'm not sure where, but the killer might have hidden a clue elsewhere. Dumped it in a trashcan or something."

"Yes, that's true. It seems like everyone has been focused in here," Hoshina said. "It sounds like only Shouko has found a clue so far, though."

"Really? Because my Monopad's buzzed at least half a dozen times, so I think I've found at least that many important clues," Misa said, inserting herself into the conversation.

"Oh yeah! I think mine's buzzed a few times too," Rudolph said. He reached into his pocket to double check. "Yep! I got four truth bullets so far. I don't know what it means, but it has it's own button the screen."

"It must be to help us remember things during the trial," Kotoko said. She actually looked fairly relieved to see this. "We're not completely alone then."

"Shoma is. He won't have any help," Hoshina said quietly, her eye going to his closed door.

"He didn't want to help us, though," Rudolph pointed out. "He chose to go away and hide in his room."

"He… there are extenuating circumstances," Hoshina said, her ever-present smile fading ever so slightly.

"Have you seen the inside of his room?" Misa asked. Hoshina's response was incredibly guarded.

"Have you?"

"Yep."

"What's so special about his room?" Kotoko asked, looking between both girls.

"Nothing," Hoshina said, placing a comforting arm on her shoulder. "The color simply doesn't match the color of the number on his door. It's nothing to worry about. I think that Shoma simply has demons that he's not ready to face yet, and we need to give him time and space so that he feels comfortable here."

"Is that a professional diagnosis?" Misa asked, her tone more than a little flippant. She got three looks, two flat and one questioning. "Right. Not the time and place. Sorry."

"We missed you yesterday," Kotoko said suddenly in a very transparent attempt to change the topic of conversation. "I thought that you would come and hang out with everyone."

Misa shrugged. "I stayed in my room all day. Didn't think that people would want to hang out with someone who's supposed to be a murderer."

"That… is a fair point," the onomastician allowed, a flush creeping up over her face.

"Did you really kill your boyfriend?" Rudolph asked. "Because you were pretty nice to me, and I can't really see you killing someone because of that. I can't see anyone here killing anyone!"

"Well, obviously someone did," Misa pointed out, which really probably was not the right thing to say in the moment, but it was the truth. They had a murderer among them. The body that was only a few feet away was ample proof of that.

"I wish that I had just woken up a few minutes earlier," Hoshina said sadly. "If I had heard something or gone inside sooner, maybe I could have saved him." Now it was Kotoko's turn to be the source of comfort.

"No, you couldn't have. Girls are only allowed in the bathroom after six, remember? You got here basically as soon as you could have," she said. Misa nodded.

"Yeah. Besides, even if you did wake up earlier, you wouldn't have heard anything anyway. The showers and all of the bedrooms are soundproof."

"Really?" Rudolph asked.

"Yeah," Misa said. "A group of us figured that out on the second day, I think? Whenever we split up into groups to explore everything again. We just didn't tell anyone because, well, it would make killing someone a lot easier if you didn't have to worry about them screaming for help."

"Who was in that group again?" Kotoko asked. Misa shrugged helplessly.

"Umm… me, obviously, Sumire, probably Ryuu since Sumire was there, Kat, and… Shouko. I think. Oh! And Tsuyoshi too."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Rule 5**

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Soundproofing**

* * *

"Tsuyoshi knew about the soundproofing?" Hoshina asked. "That's…"

"A coincidence, isn't it? Yeah," Misa said.

"Yes, but Misa also listed off five names in addition to him," Kotoko said. "That's nearly half the group. Three-eighths, I think."

"This is really scary," Rudolph said, anxiously shifting his backpack straps higher up his shoulders. "And I know that I shouldn't be scared of scary but this… this isn't a story, is it?"

"Trust me. It's good to be scared right now," Misa told him. "I'd be a hell of a lot worried if you weren't."

"There… are a few people who aren't," Hoshina said. "I'm not saying that they're a murderer, but it's… interesting to note from a psychological standpoint."

"Yeah. Oh, before I forget again, can I have your guys' alibis?"

"All three of us spent basically all day together in the lounge. We had our bonding exercise, and then we hung out afterwards," Rudolph said. "But before that I was in my room, because I was a little nervous."

"What Rudolph said. We hung out until the nighttime announcement, and then the three of us all went to bed," Kotoko said. "The only thing really worth mentioning is that Itami and Tsuyoshi got into a small argument."

"I heard that it wasn't that small."

Hoshina sighed. "Tsuyoshi was pushing Itami about his talent. Itami is… very sensitive to that, and heated words were exchanged. Tsuyoshi felt awful about it afterwards."

"Oh, okay. And then I guess that you found the body then?"

"Yes. I went to the showers almost as soon as I was able to in order to wash up, and I just saw him lying there. When I saw that he… that he…" Kotoko wrapped an arm around Hoshina's shoulders. "I began knocking on the girls' doors. Fujiko and Satsuki came out right away. That's when Monokuma made the announcement."

Huh. Misa must have slept through the knocking then. She must have been in the middle of a dream or something; her lifestyle had turned her into a fairly light sleeper.

"What about you?" Rudolph asked.

"Oh, I stayed in my room basically all day. I left briefly to test something with the hidden room that I found with a small group of people, but that's it. And yeah, I know that's not really an alibi."

"It's okay. A lot of us don't really have alibis for late at night anyways," Kotoko said. That was true. At some point, everyone went to bed. Once they're in their rooms, then there was no telling what they did or didn't do.

"Hey! I found blood!" Fujiko called out. She and Satsuki were right on the other side of the shower from where Misa and the others were standing. "Well, Satsuki found the blood. But she was too quiet to announce it."

"Yes, thank you," Satsuki said.

"Where?" Misa asked. Luckily, she was close enough to get there before everyone else crowded around. Satsuki pointed to a spot on one of the corners two-thirds down. Just like Fujiko had said, there was a small splash of blood. And it was a sharp, straight edge, just like the wound on the back of Tsuyoshi's head.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Shower Corner**

* * *

"Well, I guess that explains that," Miyu said. She stayed just long enough to see where it was before stepping away to let Sumire through. She was pale, her eyes just a little too distant. Shit. She and Tsuyoshi were friends. Of course she was taking this harder than a lot of people. She was probably the one who was closest to the little scientist. She caught her eye and titled her head towards the back, away from the prying eyes and ears of the others. Miyu smiled tiredly and followed.

"You good?" Misa asked. "Or is that a really stupid question that I should be ashamed of asking?"

"It's a little stupid."

"Right. Got it."

"I knew that people were going to die but…" she trailed off, looking over her shoulder at Tsuyoshi's body. "Why did it have to be him?"

"I think that's one of the things that we need to figure out," Misa told her.

"He was my friend," Miyu said. "And now he's dead, and I bet Zettai and Sumire are just ecstatic about it." The bitterness of her words shocked Misa, leaving an uneasy unsteadiness in her chest. It was just… wrong to hear Miyu so vicious and angry.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to them yet."

"No? That surprises me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought Zettai would have given you orders by now."

"I'm not his foot solider, Miyu."

Miyu closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "Sorry."

Misa waved her off. "It's fine. It's been… a really rough twenty four hours."

"You can say that again."

"I don't suppose you have any thoughts on who the killer might be?" Misa asked. Miyu just shook her head.

"I know who I _want_ it to be," she said, a ghost of a smile appearing for a moment before vanishing like wisps of smoke.

"Yeah, me too, but I don't know if I have any evidence that points to him," Misa said. As if on cue, she could feel eyes burning into her back. Still, she refused to turn around.

"He's staring," Miyu said.

"Yeah, I know." Misa's eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, if I were to try something, can you make sure that nobody follows me except for him?"

"You want to get him alone?" Miyu asked. "I'm not sure if that's the best idea…"

"Aw, don't get jealous. I just want to try and get some answers from it before the trial," Misa said with a grin. Miyu looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Is that a 'yes'?"

"You're going to be the death of me," Miyu said before the full weight of her words hit her. Yeah, maybe there was no just casually mentioning death or killing or even just using those words as a figure of speech. Still, Misa let her grin grow softer in thanks. She gently stepped past Miyu and headed purposefully towards Tsuyoshi's room. He didn't speak up until she laid her hand on the door handle.

"Where ya going, kid?" Ryuu asked, his voice carrying clear against the room. Misa turned to face him with her most innocent and charming grin.

"Tsuyoshi's room to see if there's any other clues. We can't all be stuck in here forever, after all."

"By yourself?" Ryuu asked.

"Yep. That was the general idea."

"So ya can go and get rid of evidence?"

"You know, if you really don't trust me, then you're more than welcomed to join me. Unless you think that there might be better uses of your time?" Misa tilted her head to the side, and fought hard to keep any and all smugness of her face when the bounty hunter grumbled something under his breath before stomping over to join her. Misa opened the door with a flourish to let him in. The bright neon yellow of the walls was blinding. Oof. Maybe Tsuyoshi dying was actually a mercy. How the hell did he sleep in that room? Ryuu eyed her for a long moment before finally stepping into the room. Her grin dropped in an instant as she slammed the door closed behind her.

"What the fuck, Ryuu?" she demanded, striding up to him so that she was right in his face. Right now, she reveled in the fact that she was a solid five inches taller than him. It was an incredibly heady feeling. Ryuu raised his chin defiantly in order to look her in the eyes.

"Don't know what da fuck you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb. It isn't cute. You didn't have a single problem with me before yesterday. What changed?"

"What do ya think changed? Don't play dumb, kid. It isn't cute."

"You're the one who went off script," Misa told him, jabbing a finger into his chest. Ryuu shoved her back to create a little distance. And with those two acts, the air turned deadly still. Misa wasn't a brawler – there was a reason why she preferred her guns – but she had been in enough fights to recognize the moments leading up to one. And as satisfying as it would be to punch the bastard's lights out, this really wasn't the time or place. So, unfortunately, she took another step back and let some of the tension in the air dissipate.

"I went off _your_ script. Don't remember ever signing off on it," Ryuu growled.

"You're the one who hung around outside instead of just coming in like a normal person!"

"'Cuz that meeting really helped ya, huh?"

"Well, considering the fact that Sumire and Zettai are on my side and not yours…" But the faith that she had in her statement faded as Ryuu just smirked. She _did_ have both of them on her side, right? They had seemed supportive yesterday. Especially Zettai, which had surprised her at the time but kinda made sense in hindsight if she squinted and looked at it in the right way. But now…

"Like I said, kid. I only went off your script."

Fuck.

Okay.

No, not okay.

Okay.

Fuck.

Fuck!

Okay, fine. She would deal with this later, after the trial.

"You know that I'm still in a stronger position than you, right?" Misa asked. Her voice was incredibly steady. Yay her! "I have other allies, other groups. Who do you have?"

"Half of 'em think you're a murderer," Ryuu told her dismissively. "Which, now that it's just us in here, kid, is the right thought. You and me both know it."

"You don't know anything," Misa told him. Shit, her voice was starting to waver again. She needed to keep it steady. "And I'm pretty sure that number is a hell of a lot less than a half. Besides, you can't pin this one on me. I didn't kill Tsuyoshi. So give it up, or we'll all die."

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

What? No! This wasn't enough time! Misa wasn't doesn't investigating!

"Rise and shine, everyone! Wait. Oh… you're all already awake. Never mind then!"

The announcement clicked off and Misa nearly sagged in relief. It was just the morning announcement. They still had more time. She looked back at Ryuu. The momentary interruption had done wonders for her mood, but the mere sight of him caused the anger and hurt to creep back up. He opened his mouth and she braced herself, a snappy comeback on the tip of her tongue.

"I know ay didn't kill Tsuyoshi."

"…Huh?"

Ryuu stared stubbornly at some point in the middle distance. "Took a shower at 12:30. No one else was in there. So unless ya got a secret passage – "

"I don't."

"Ya couldn't have gotten in there to kill him."

"Or any girl for that matter," Misa said. That… really narrowed things down. Unless Ryuu was trying to cover up for someone…

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Ryuu's Account**

* * *

"Wait, why did you just tell me that?" Misa asked. "Not that I don't appreciate it or anything, but it doesn't quite fit everything else you've been doing."

"We vote for the wrong person, I get da feeling we're all gonna end up dead. I ain't dying for you or for anyone," Ryuu told her, a fierce light shining in his eyes. "And maybe you're playing me with a secret passage, but I don't think ya that smart."

"Wow. Thanks," Misa said flatly. Ryuu shrugged, completely unrepentant. She pressed a knuckle against her forehead. "Look, I'm not ending this conversation, but I really do want to search this room and the obnoxiously bright yellow is seriously giving me a headache."

"Still not gonna let ya search alone, kid."

"Yeah, I figured."

Between the two of them, though, the search was actually fairly quick. It helped that there was absolutely nothing suspicious at all whatsoever. Everything was exactly where it should be and there was nothing missing. It really looked like Tsuyoshi had just left the room for a moment with every intention of coming back, just like he had dozens of times before. The only brief moment of excitement that they did have was when Ryuu found a Monocoin. It clinked against something else metallic when he slid it into his pocket.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET** **ACQUIRED**

 **Tsuyoshi's Room**

* * *

Misa and Ryuu returned to the bathroom, which was considerably emptier than it had been when they had disappeared into Tsuyoshi's room. They must have finally spread out into other areas. Only Miyu, Sumire and Itami were left.

"Find anything?" Miyu asked. Misa shook her head as she watched Ryuu and Sumire out of the corner of her eye. They didn't say a word to each other, but they didn't need to either. There was some mental communication there that would have put her and Tetsu to shame. The corners of Sumire's mouth tightened, but her expression smoothed out a moment later. She wasn't happy. Good. Itami watched them all openly. It wasn't like there was anything else for him to do.

"Oh, Misa! I don't think we've managed to talk yet today," she said.

"Nope," Misa said. "But it's been pretty crazy."

"You can say that again. To think, poor Tsuyoshi could have been murdered while I was drinking my tea."

"You were up early?" Miyu asked. Sumire glanced at her before nodding.

"I have trouble sleeping, and last night I just gave up. Went to the dining room at 4:30 in order to have a cup of tea."

"4:30 am?" Misa clarified. She nodded. "Alone? That's… stupid or brave or both. Not sure which."

"Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself," Sumire said. "And it wasn't for long. Kat and Zettai joined me at 4:50."

"That's a pretty specific time," Miyu said.

"There's a clock on the wall. That tends to help."

"So it was just you three?" Misa asked. Sumire thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"No. Itami came in at 5:00, and then Shouko at 5:20. We were all together when we heard the announcement."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Sumire's Account**

* * *

"Thanks. That's good to know. I think you're the first actual alibi I've heard," Misa told her with a quick grin. Sumire mirrored it.

"And yours is?"

"Not an actual alibi. Went straight to my room after the smoke test. Didn't leave or see anyone until I heard the body announcement."

Sumire covered her mouth with her hand. "That is unfortunate," she said.

"Isn't it?" Misa agreed. "But I think I've seen enough of this place for today. I'm gonna go try and check out some other places."

"I'll come with you," Miyu volunteered. "Itami?" The patient just shook his head. "Okay." She hesitated. "Just don't stay in here alone, okay?"

"I w-won't."

With that, the pair left the bathroom, cutting through Misa's room. They were both quiet as Misa led them towards the dining room. Maybe there were other, better places to check, but this was the only place that Misa knew for sure had other people in it potentially around the time of the murder. It was as good a place to start as any.

The dining room, surprisingly, wasn't empty when they arrived. Zettai sat in one of the chairs, calm as you please, a cup of steaming tea in front of him. He merely inclined his head in greeting when the girls entered.

"Hard at work?" Misa asked him. Zettai shot her a look.

"Please. I finished investigating an hour ago. This really isn't that difficult to figure out."

"Then who killed Tsuyoshi?" Miyu asked. Zettai actually laughed.

"Oh, come on. The game's no fun if I just tell you the answer. I trust that even you should be able to figure it out if you just thought about it for a second."

"You – you think this is a game?" Miyu demanded.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but we are in a Killing _Game_ , yes?"

Uh oh. Misa quickly stepped in front of Miyu before she could do something stupid like try to dump Zettai's teacup over his head. Not that she would necessarily blame her. But Zettai would probably be more likely to answer questions if he was dry.

Keeping one hand on Miyu's shoulder, she turned to face the tactician. "Did you and Kat get here at like 4:50?"

"Yes. And yes, Sumire was already here." He paused while he sipped from his tea. "Although I'm not sure the exact time. It very easily could have been 4:30."

"There's literally a clock right above your head," Misa said.

"You should eat something before the trial. Wouldn't want you to suddenly feel faint if you were accused of something. That would hardly be a good defense now, would it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Miyu asked. Zettai completely ignored her. "Hey!"

"Miyu," Misa said quietly.

"Oh, don't 'Miyu' me."

"I'll be right back," she said. "Try not to kill each other, please? I really only want to go through one trial right now." She regretted the words the moment that she saw the stricken look on Miyu's face, but it was too late to take them back.

She ducked into the kitchen. Zettai telling her to eat something was way too random not to be some kind of clue or riddle. But as she looked around, nothing really jumped out at her. None of the plastic food looked displaced, and all of the food machines looked perfectly normal. Absolutely nothing had changed since the last time she was in here. She muttered a curse under her breath and looked around one last time, her gaze finally falling on the clock placed high on the wall. She stepped closer to it and frowned.

"8:50," she said to herself before half-running out of the kitchen and back into the dining room. The clock above Zettai's head said 8:30. Zettai followed her gaze and smirked.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET AQUIRED**

 **Dining Room and Kitchen Clocks**

* * *

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

"Alright, I'm bored! Investigation time over! Everyone please report to the black and white doors. You know the ones."

Despite everything, Misa's stomach sank all the way to her feet. She looked at both Miyu and Zettai and could see her own fear and anxiety reflected in their eyes. Granted, Zettai's was incredibly muted, but it was there in the way his teacup clattered against the saucer when he put it down.

It was time for the class trial to begin.

* * *

 **And that is it for the investigation! Remember that the poll for who you think the blackened is is still up on my profile. I always love seeing your thoughts, whether it's through the poll or in a review!**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Chapter One Part VI

**I hope you all have your theories ready because it's finally time for the class trial! This chapter was a lot more difficult to write than I was expecting. Any fellow SYOC writers reading this, my respect for you has tripled. Seriously. Regardless, hopefully the first part of this trial matches or exceeds your expectations!**

 **liammarklh88: Lots of interesting theories there. Don't worry. It's only natural to be worried about your son. No one wants their character to be a killer! Well... most people. Probably. Maybe. Unless, you know, they were deliberately made to be a killer. Anyways, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts. Let's see if any of your theories are true!**

 **Shirasaur: Welcome back! Don't you hate it when you come back and suddenly there's dead people? But yes, you did miss a lot. I'm glad to have you back with us, and I'm really glad that you enjoyed your binge!**

 **oddlyillregular: Yeah, not a lot of people saw Tsuyoshi's death coming. Poor boy. But yeah. Misa's guns haven't really been important yet. I would call them Chekov's guns, but Misa might take offense to that. She's protective over her babies. Anyways, I really enjoyed reading your analysis of what potentially happened. Let's see if you're right!**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Yes, Zettai has been fairly friendly and yes, Fujiko was absolutely ready to throw down. She still is. You always ask so many questions in your reviews and I want to answer every, single one. Except then we'll be here all day and also spoilers. But I will say that you're the one person who's picked up on something fairly important, which is very nice to see. And also, yes, Zettai is a smug bastard. That continues here. Don't worry.**

* * *

The three of them were the first to arrive at the black and white doors. So these led to the trial room. In hindsight, they probably should have been able to guess that from the start. Although, when Misa first stumbled upon Miyu trying to open them, they had no idea that Monokuma was here or that one of their own would be dead only a few days later.

That was the thing that probably struck her the most. Less than a week ago, everyone here had been living their normal lives. They were probably happy and peaceful. They didn't have to worry about bloodshed or murder. Tsuyoshi was probably planning his next experiment or scientific study, enthusiastic and hopeful about the possible outcomes. And now he was dead, murdered by someone who could have never dreamed that their life would turn into this.

But she was getting far too introspective. Continuing this train of thought would only bring sympathy for the killer. And Misa couldn't afford that right now. They were about to take part in a trial. There was no room for dangerous things like sympathy or understanding. Not when punishment, and that word only meant one thing here, awaited the losers.

Shoma silently slipped out of his room and into the hall, careful not to open his bedroom door too wide. Zettai frowned immediately.

"Fruitful investigation?" he asked dismissively. Shoma glanced at him before hunching his shoulders and pulling his headphones fully onto his ears. The gamer didn't say a word and eventually Zettai gave up and turned his attention elsewhere. Misa and Miyu looked at each other. Misa shrugged.

Slowly, the entire group gathered in front of the doors. To Misa's surprise, Itami actually chose the stand next to Miyu. He didn't look at her or anything, but it was a definite sign of solidarity. Even if Itami hadn't liked being around her or Tsuyoshi they were still a trio. Or, well, a duo now.

"Are we supposed to knock or something?" Fujiko asked.

As if on cue, the doors opened inward, revealing a large elevator with more than enough room to fit everyone inside. Fujiko looked around before walking purposefully inside, dragging Satsuki along with her. She crossed her arms and stared at everyone else.

"You coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on, kid," Ryuu told her. He sauntered in and leaned against the back corner. Everyone else filed in, eventually leaving just Shoma standing there. He wouldn't even look at the elevator. Hoshina stepped out of the elevator and lightly placed a hand on his upper back with the intention of leading him inside. He reacted as if he had been shocked, flinching away from the touch. Hoshina immediately pulled her hands back.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Leave him be, Hoshina," Sumire told her. "He'll hardly have much to contribute anyways."

"I doubt that we'll be able to leave without him" Hoshina said. "Everything important has required full attendance."

"Fine," Shoma muttered.

As soon as he and Hoshina stepped inside, the elevator doors closed. It groaned, metal laboriously creaking to life, and started it's slow, shuddering descent. Misa stared at the back of Ryo's head, trying to plan her opening moves. All of the crime shows said that a killer needed motive, means, and opportunity. The motive was fairly clear; Monokuma gave them that. So they just needed to focus on the other parts. Those were only two things. It wasn't intimidating at all when she thought about it that way.

All too soon, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. They were in another circular room, this one decorated in rich reds and glowing golds. The air was choked with the smell of wood varnish. Dominating the room was a circle of sixteen mahogany stands. One of the stands held a picture frame, although Misa couldn't see what it was from her current angle. Directly across from the elevator was a red throne. Monokuma lounged in the seat, his head propped up by one paw.

"Welcome, welcome! Everybody, find your place!" he cooed. It would be pointless to refuse, and so everyone slowly made their way to a stand. They were organized in the same way that the bedrooms were. Boys made up one half, girls the other. Misa took her place between Kotoko and Fujiko. From her spot, she could lock eyes with everyone else in the circle. There would be no escaping scrutiny or judgment. Not from the living Ultimates, and certainly not from the dead either.

The picture frame stood in Tsuyoshi's designated spot. His dirt-streaked face stared out at everyone from underneath a messy, pink X.

"That's morbid," Sumire said lightly.

"I don't like it. Can we take it down?" Rudolph asked. Misa didn't know what he was complaining about. At least the picture wasn't starting directly at him. Misa shifted positions slightly. Yep. Tsuyoshi's eyes were definitely following her.

"Of course not! How else are we to remember our dearly departed friends? This way, they get to participate in the trial too!" Monokuma said.

"I still don't like it," Rudolph muttered, edging closer to Zettai's stand.

"So, how does this all work?" Sumire asked. "Do we simply start debating?"

"I would like to look over my notes first," Ryo said with his hand raised.

"Sure, sure. Look at your truth bullets," Monokuma said. "You just need to figure out who the blackened is. When you're finished, you'll vote on your answer. If you're right, congratulations! You win and I get to punish the blackened! But guess wrong, and I'll punish everyone besides the blackened, who goes free. Oh, and remember… _everyone_ is punished for a tie."

Okay, that seemed simple enough. Misa took a deep breath and pulled out her Monopad.

* * *

 **Truth Bullets:**

 **Monokuma File #1:** The victim is Tsuyoshi Genda, the Ultimate Scientist. He was found in the shower room at 6:05 am. The cause of death was drowning. There is also evidence of a blow to the back of his head.

 **The Shower Drain:** The drain is very slow, leading to a build up of water whenever people shower. There was a small puddle of water around the drain that did not reach the body.

 **Damp Hair:** Tsuyoshi's hair is damp with water.

 **Back of the Head:** There is a large, bloody bump on the back of Tsuyoshi's head. It was made by something with a hard, straight edge. The blood has coagulated.

 **Tsuyoshi's Face:** There are no scrapes, cuts, or any other kind of injury on Tsuyoshi's face.

 **Shower:** There is a small amount of blood on the corner of the shower, about two thirds of the way down the wall.

 **White Fibers:** There are white fibers caught on the tile floor not far from the body.

 **Rule 5:** Girls are only allowed in the bathroom from 6 am to 6 pm. Boys are allowed in from 6 pm to 6 am. The bedroom doors lock depending on what time it is.

 **Soundproofing:** The showers and each bedroom are soundproof. Only Tsuyoshi, Misa, Ryuu, Shouko, Kat, and Sumire knew this.

 **Tsuyoshi's Room:** There is nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary about Tsuyoshi's room.

 **Ryuu's Account:** Ryuu entered the bathroom at around 12:30 am in order to shower. There was no one else in the bathroom when he left.

 **Argument:** Itami and Tsuyoshi had a very loud and public argument about Itami's Ultimate Talent, which resulted in Itami running out of the lounge. The only people unaware of this argument were Misa and Shoma.

 **Sumire's Account:** Sumire went to the dining room at 4:30 am. Kat and Zettai joined her at 4:50 am. Itami joined at 5:00 am. Shouko joined at 5:20 am.

 **Dining Room and Kitchen Clocks:** There is a twenty-minute difference between the dining room and kitchen clocks.

* * *

Misa nodded when she was done, but balanced her Monopad on the edge of her stand in case she needed it again. Even if she didn't know who did it, at least the evidence painted a fairly clear picture of what physically happened. She could start there and then… well, this wasn't like a normal trial. There were no prosecutors or defense attorneys or clearly designated suspects. Everyone acted as all three, which meant that she had to question and doubt everything that everyone said. Hopefully, that would be enough to find out the truth. Not just for Tsuyoshi's sake, he was already dead and gone, but for everyone still breathing.

Miyu cleared her throat. "Well, I guess we should get started by going over the basic facts. The victim was… it was Tsuyoshi."

"I found him in the bathroom at 6:05 am," Hoshina said. "According to the Monokuma file, the cause of death was drowning."

Ryo raised his hand again. "I'm confused about that."

"How surprising," Zettai muttered with a sigh. Miyu glared at him before turning back to Ryo with a sweet, albeit forced smile.

"What don't you understand?"

"You need water to drown in. Or some other liquid. But it's water here. Tsuyoshi wasn't in water. So where did it go? Or did Tsuyoshi move somewhere?"

"I was wondering that as well," Satsuki said.

"Okay then," Miyu said. "We'll start there."

* * *

 **Truth Bullets Loaded**

 **Shower | The Shower Drain | Tsuyoshi's Room**

 **Hoshina:** I found Tsuyoshi in the bathroom, so it makes sense that he drowned there.

 **Kat:** Yeah, there's definitely no shortage of water there.

 **Fujiko:** Well, how about while he was _**in the shower?**_

 **Rudolph:** Oh! There are lots of horror stories where people are drowned _**in the toilet**_.

 **Kat:** Ugh, I hate stories like that.

 **Kotoko:** Could it be _**in the sink?**_ That's another common place.

 **Ryuu:** Fucking hell. It's obvious.

 **Ryuu:** He was drowned _**exactly where he was found**_.

 **Truth Bullet selected: The Shower Drain**

 _I can't believe I'm agreeing with you!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"Of course you're agreeing with me, kid," Ryuu said. Misa held back a sigh.

"And I'm already regretting it," she told him.

"I'm still confused," Ryo said. "There was no water where we found him."

"Yeah, not at the moment. But remember? The shower drain sucks and takes forever to actually work. There's always a huge puddle whenever someone comes out of the shower. It definitely would have reached where he found Tsuyoshi," Misa explained.

Ryo slowly nodded. "Oh. I actually haven't – "

"Please don't finish that sentence," Sumire interrupted. Ryo's face flushed red.

"It would have probably been deep enough too," Miyu said. "If Tsuyoshi was being held face down, it only needs to be a couple of inches to cover his nose."

"He was held d-down?" Itami asked, looking at her with wide eyes.

"I… I just assumed."

"Heh. Well you know what they say about ass-u-me!" Kat joked. No one laughed or even cracked a smile. "Okay, not now. Duly noted. Sheesh. I was just trying to make things less creepy."

"Kat does have a point, though," Sumire said. "Assumptions will get us nowhere."

"Okay! Let's talk about it then!" Fujiko said firmly.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **TSUYOSHI'S FACE | WHITE FIBERS | BACK OF THE HEAD**

 **SHOUKO:** Tsuyoshi must have been held down!

 **SHOUKO:** Every human fights for their life. No matter how pitiful!

 **HOSHINA:** Maybe _**we shouldn't talk about Tsuyoshi like that.**_

 **SHOUKO:** The blackened held Tsuyoshi's face against the floor…

 **SHOUKO:** Not stopping, even as my fellow scientist _**struggled and fought back.**_

 **HOSHINA:** Shouko, please…

 **SHOUKO:** _**Has The Iron Maiden lied?**_ I think not!

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Tsuyoshi's Face**

 _Nope! Try again!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"Was sagst du?" Shouko demanded.

"Shouko, you know that no one else here speaks German, right?" Misa asked. And this was exactly why she didn't like spending time around her. She huffed, clearly offended.

"What did you say, underling?" she demanded.

"Nope! Try again!" Misa repeated. "Did you hear me that time?"

"Are you going to banter forever, or does this actually have a point?" Zettai asked.

Misa sighed. "I suppose I can have a point. The killer didn't hold Tsuyoshi down when he struggled. If they did, then his face would be all scraped up from the tiles. They aren't that smooth."

"But his face didn't have any injuries," Sumire said. She covered her mouth with her hand. "My, my, that is a bit of clever thinking, isn't it?"

That sounded like a genuine compliment, but something about it made Misa's skin itch. Was it genuine? Or was it simply what was convenient in the moment? Ugh, if their lives weren't on the line, she would try to pin this on Sumire in a second. Then she'd be done with her conniving bullshit.

"But then why wouldn't Tsuyoshi fight back?" Rudolph asked. "It's an instinctual reaction."

* * *

 **Why didn't Tsuyoshi fight back?**

 **A) He didn't want to.**

 **B) He was tied up.**

 **C) He** **was unconscious.**

 _It can't be anything else!_

* * *

"It's hard to fight back if you're unconscious," Misa said.

"Yeah, true enough," Ryuu said. He paused. "Damn it. We agreed again."

"You both think that Tsuyoshi was unconscious when he drowned?" Sumire asked. Ryuu immediately nodded.

"Makes sense," he said. "Yeah, it's dead weight, but ya don't have to worry 'bout your prey getting away or being funny."

"But what did they knock him out with?" Fujiko asked. "We didn't see anything in the bathroom."

"Yes, we did," Satsuki said quietly. "Remember?"

"We did? Oh! You mean the blood that you found on the shower?"

The astronomer nodded. "It was the only blood that we saw. And it could certainly knock someone out."

"And it is right where we found Tsuyoshi," Kotoko said, her hands clasped behind her back. "If he hit his head and fell into the water…"

"Now, now," Zettai said. It was one of the most patronizing things Misa had ever heard. "Don't go down the 'it was all an accident' road again. Because it certainly was murder."

"I doubt that we need a reminder, thank you," Hoshina said with the upmost politeness. Zettai held up his hands in surrender, a smirk playing across his face. Of course he was enjoying this. Why did that not surprise her?

"If it makes you feel any better, the attack would have had to be pretty quick," Rudolph said. "I mean, no one heard Tsuyoshi scream or anything like that, right?"

"Wouldn't have mattered if he did, kid," Ryuu told him.

"It wouldn't?"

* * *

 **Why did no one hear a fight?**

 **-SELECT TRUTH BULLET-**

 **SOUNDPROOFING**

 _This is it._

* * *

"Nah, the showers and bedroom are completely soundproof," Misa said. "You could yell at the top of your lungs and no one would ever hear you."

"How do you know that?" Miyu asked.

"Oh yeah! From when our group explored everything. Good catch, Solo! I completely forgot about that!"

"Da fuck? I'm the one that brought it up!"

"Shut up, Ape Face. I'm not talking to you."

"Kat, Ryuu, there's no reason to argue over that," Kotoko said gently. "We have other, more important things to focus on, yes?"

"W-who knew that there was s-soundproofing?" Itami asked.

Misa raised her hand. Ryuu, Kat, Sumire, and Shouko soon followed. "Tsuyoshi was also with us."

"S-so the k-killer is one of y-you!" Itami said, pointing his finger at each of them.

"I… don't know if that makes sense," Hoshina said, her face gently contemplative.

"Why n-not?"

"We just decided that this was a quick, probably silent attack before Tsuyoshi could fight back. That wouldn't make sense if the killer knew that they didn't have the worry about sound. These are the actions of someone trying to stay as quiet as possible."

"B-but…" Itami trailed off. "That's still a lot of p-people."

"No, we eliminated a third. That's a lot!" Kotoko said. Her encouragement fell flat though, especially once Ryuu spoke up.

"That doesn't eliminate shit. Blitz attack is still the best for getting people, kid."

"Is that coming from personal experience?" Misa asked innocently.

"Ya fucking right it is."

"You all insult the intelligence of the Iron Maiden! What about the fibers I found?" Shouko demanded, slamming her hand against the stand. "Das is clear evidence of a struggle!"

"They're a few fibers, Doktor," Zettai drawled. "Hardly as important as you think they are."

"Everyone uses that room," Satsuki pointed out. "We don't know where they're from. I doubt they're important." Shouko fumed, but said nothing more.

Miyu clapped her hands together, gathering everyone's attention again. "Hey, come on! We've done a great job so far, everyone! Now we know that the killer used the shower to knock Tsuyoshi unconscious and then, um, and then drown him." Her enthusiasm faded about halfway through, but Misa still had to give her credit. That was a lot longer than she was expecting. Still, she made a visible effort to recapture it. "And! We've started to narrow down our suspects, at least a little bit."

"So, we have the how. We should move on to the when," Sumire decided. "Especially since Monokuma was so kind as to keep it from us."

"Hey, I got to make these trials fair," the awful, horrible, annoying bear piped up. "It's not as much fun if I favor one side over the other!"

"Does that mean that the time of death points directly to the killer then?" she asked innocently. Monokuma went silent. If Misa squinted, she could almost see him mentally kicking himself. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"So," Zettai said. "When did Tsuyoshi die?"

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Sumire's Account | Monokuma File # 1 | Rule 5**

 **Hoshina:** _**I found Tsuyoshi at 6:05 am**_ , according to the Monokuma File.

 **Miyu** : And the last time that anyone saw him was what? 10 pm? Midnight?

 **Itami:** T-that's _**a lot of t-time.**_

 **Kat:** Don't say it like that.

 **Itami:** Like w-what?

 **Kat:** You know. Like that!

 **Fujiko:** Stop goofing off! You're seriously pissing me off.

 **Ryo:** Wait, we can't narrow it down anymore than that?

 **Ryo:** This sucks! We _**can't narrow down the suspects**_ at all from this!

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Rule 5**

 _Nope! Try again!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"No, we can narrow that down a lot," Misa said with a shake of her head. "Only boys can get into the bathroom during that time frame."

"Hey, that's a lie!" Fujiko said suddenly. "Why are you lying?"

"Fujiko, what are you talking about?" Misa asked, fighting to keep her calm. No one had accused her of anything so far, which had surprised her but was definitely nice. Did this mark the end of that?

"Satsuki and I saw you, remember? When you were locked out?"

"What? Oh, that?" Misa had honestly forgotten all about that. "It's really no big deal."

"How can you say that? It directly contradicts what you said!" She crossed her arms in front of her. "We can't narrow it down at all!"

"Fujiko – "

" _You're heading in the wrong direction!"_

* * *

 **Rebuttal Showdown**

 **TRUTH BLADES LOADED: Ryuu's Account | Argument | Dining Room and Kitchen Clocks**

 **Fujiko** : Satsuki and me saw you!

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** You were locked out of your room, remember?

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** And very clearly came out of a boy's room!

-SLASH!-

 **ADVANCE!**

 **Misa:** I do remember now. But it really isn't that big of a deal.

 **Fujiko:** Sounds to me like you're trying to cover your ass!

 **Misa:** Are you going to let me explain why or not?

 **Fujiko:** No! I won't let you hide the truth here!

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** Rule 5 locked you out of your bedroom.

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** So you used Ryo's instead!

 **Ryo:** What?

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** So, _**a girl could have easily hidden in the bathrooms**_ before the locks changed.

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** Killed Tsuyoshi, and then sneak out of his room!

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** It would be easy!

-SLASH!-

 **Fujiko:** See? We can't narrow it down at all!

-SLASH!-

 **Truth Blade Selected: Ryuu's Account**

 _I'll cut through that!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"You know what? I'm actually glad that you said something," Misa told her. Fujiko narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because now I have the chance to use one of my favorite truth bullets here. Ryuu, do you want to be a dear and tell everyone what you told me? About last night?"

Ryuu sighed. "Nah, but you'll just tell 'em for me. I took a shower at 12:30 am. The showers were completely empty when I left. Not a single person, girl or not, was there."

"No one?" Fujiko repeated, her burst of energy suddenly gone.

"Nah. It's why I haven't accused our resident killer of doing this one. I ain't fucking stupid." That last part seemed to be directed solely towards Sumire. She didn't acknowledge it. She was too busy silently counting something off on her fingers.

"Did you have to throw in 'our resident killer?'" Misa asked. Ryuu smirked.

"Well, what if he's lying?" Fujiko asked, having apparently gotten a second wind. "He could be covering for someone?"

"Why da fuck would I do that?"

"I don't know! Loyalty? Stupidity? Money?"

"Can't spend money if I'm fucking dead, kid," Ryuu told her. "I ain't got a death wish."

"So you say."

"Do ya got a death wish, kid? 'Cuz right now you're acting like it!"

"You're the one being suspicious and defensive! Maybe that's why you accused Misa of murder in the first place! To set up a fall guy… girl… whatever!"

"Ya deaf or just fucking stupid? I'm not saying she's done this!"

"What if all the evidence pointed towards Sumire as the killer?" Miyu asked mildly. "Would you stand by your statement?"

"I'm sorry, but why are we dragging me into this?" Sumire asked as Ryuu glared daggers at Miyu.

"Oh, come on, Sumire. Everyone's noticed how… close you and Ryuu are," Zettai said with a grin.

"Should I be offended by that?" she asked.

"I'm flattered," Ryuu said, earning a few chuckles from around the room, including one from Misa. Sumire rolled her eyes. "And yeah, I would say the same thing. I see ya staring."

"Excellent. We just eliminated more than half our suspects then!" Miyu said.

"Not quite," Satsuki said. She looked directly at Hoshina. "Tsuyoshi could have been killed in the five minute window between the girls being allowed into the bathroom and the time listed in the Monokuma File."

"But that would mean…" Ryo trailed off before also staring at the psychologist. "That would make it be you, right?"

"What? Hoshina would never kill someone!" Kotoko told them. Hoshina quickly nodded. Shoma, who had been predictably silent this whole time, barely even looking up from the floor, suddenly started paying attention.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Damp Hair | Rule 5 | Back of the Head**

 **Hoshina:** _**Tsuyoshi was already dead**_ when I found him! I promise!

 **Satsuki:** We only have your word for this.

 **Rudolph:** But she's so nice? Would she really kill someone?

 **Kotoko:** Besides, five minutes isn't _**nearly enough time**_.

 **Ryuu:** It's _**physically possible**_. Blitz attacks are quick. That's da point.

 **Hoshina:** Then why would I immediately bring everyone else?

 **Hoshina:** _**It doesn't make sense!**_

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Back of the Head**

 _I'm with you!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"No, it couldn't have been her," Misa said. "There wouldn't be enough time."

"Ryuu said that it was possible," Satsuki said. Misa shook her head.

"Yeah, but the blood on the back of his head was dry. That doesn't just happen in five minutes. Especially with a head wound."

"Those do bleed a lot," Ryo chimed in eagerly. "I know because I have some first aid training. In case things go wrong when I'm exploring. And they do, usually. Well, it did during my one official adventure. Why are people glaring? Should I stop talking?"

"Maybe," Rudolph told him with a small, half-hearted smile. Ryo deflated like a popped balloon.

"Oh. Sorry…"

"The blood was dry?" Satsuki asked, immediately getting everyone back on task. She looked surprised and maybe a little sheepish.

"Yeah. Did nobody else look at the body?" Misa asked, looking around. No one would really meet her eyes except for Zettai.

"Don't look at me. It's not my fault everyone is a squeamish idiot."

"Bold talk for someone who hasn't contributed yet, minion," Shouko told him, pointing her finger imperiously at his chest.

"What can I say? I like watching you stumble around the obvious."

"S-shut up," Itami muttered.

"Glad you found your backbone," he said, and while it should have been praise or a compliment, it just sounded mocking to Misa's ears.

"How long would it take the blood to dry?" Kotoko asked. "That can help us narrow the window."

"About an hour," Rudolph answered immediately. "… I needed to know for a story. It's not that weird and definitely don't look at my search history!"

"Which means that I couldn't have done it," Hoshina said, all of the tension in her body bleeding out of her.

"Besides, that shower drain is freaking slow. It would take way more than five minutes for the puddle to disappear," Misa said.

"My apologies then," Satsuki said with a small bow of her head.

"Okay, so about an hour for the blood to dry. That puts us at around 5 in the morning," Miyu said. Misa nodded. That sounded reasonable. People would be more likely to be up and about at that hour too. "Now what about on the other end? Can we push that past 12:30?" That might be trickier.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Damp Hair | Sumire's Account | Tsuyoshi's Room**

 **Kat:** So Ape Face was sure that the room was empty at 12:30. Anyone go in after that?

 **Fujiko:** _**Tsuyoshi**_.

 **Kat:** No shit, Captain Obvious. You gonna say the killer next?

 **Sumire:** If we can't rely on testimony, there has to be physical evidence.

 **Itami:** Like w-what? T-there was _**n-n-nothing on the body.**_

 **Kotoko:** There wasn't really a lot of _**evidence in the room itself**_.

 **Hoshina:** If anyone went into the bathroom, don't be afraid to speak up.

 **Hoshina:** We won't automatically condemn you.

 **Zettai:** How idealistic.

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Damp Hair**

 _Nope! Try again!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

Misa frowned. "Wait, Itami, that's not quite right."

"Y-yes it is," he said stubbornly.

"No, it isn't. You watched me examine Tsuyoshi's body. His hair was damp."

"S-so?"

"So, his hair would have dried already if he was killed hours ago."

"Even with the drain being super slow?" Kat asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"Come on, it's not that slow," Misa told him.

"Hey! I haven't measured the rate of… of… damn it, I don't have a pun."

"Small mercies," Sumire said with a quick grin.

"Hey! My puns are great!"

"Okay, so we have a time frame now," Miyu said. "In fact, I think we have a pretty set time of death."

"We do?" Ryo asked. "What is it? I missed it?"

"5:00 am, give or take a few minutes. It's long enough for the blood to dry and for the hair to mostly stay damp."

"N-no."

"No?" she asked, obviously confused.

"I agree with the sick kid," Ryuu said. "Guys' hair doesn't fucking take an hour to dry." Itami looked like he wanted to protest, but stayed silent.

"Yeah, but with the puddle –"

"This fucking puddle. It's slow and fast whenever da fuck you need it to be."

"That's not true!" Miyu protested.

"It is, kid. Just admit it."

"I will not!" she said, slamming her hand on her stand for emphasis. "Why are you suddenly trying to derail things? We were making progress."

"Is that what that's called?" Zettai asked.

"Oh, don't you start."

"You have made zero progress on this front. All you've established is that Tsuyoshi's killer was male. We already knew that. It should have been obvious the moment you saw where he was killed. I can't believe you idiots have actually debated that fact for the last oh… twenty minutes."

"You're always welcomed to help, Zettai," Sumire told him sweetly. "What was that line again? About contributing to your own survival? That's sounding a bit hypocritical right about now."

"I doubt Monokuma would appreciate me spoiling the fun."

"What fun?" Monokuma grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Those two words immediately straightened Misa's posture. Those didn't sound like good words.

"Ugh, this is taking forevvvvvvvver," Kat complained, looking exactly like a wilted flower. "I'm hungry and my head hurts and we're no closer to picking someone than when we started. Can't we just decide and vote already? We got a one out of seven shot!"

"An excellent idea," Zettai said, which really should have been Kat's first clue. "Why don't we vote for you?"

"Hey! That isn't funny!" Kat told him.

"Who ever said that I was joking?" Zettai asked.

"Out of all of my minions, you do have the worst sense of humor," Shouko said thoughtfully, stroking her imaginary goatee. Zettai shot her a dirty look.

"Guys, come on," Miyu pleaded. "We can figure this out. I'm sure of it! We are getting closer. And there's still a lot of evidence that we haven't gone over yet."

"Yes, let's ignore the fact that everything we've covered already contradicts each other," Sumire said, leaning forward slightly in order to rest her forearms on her stand. There was an obvious tightness around her eyes, despite the easy smirk on her face.

"That's not true," Hoshina said lightly.

"Fine. Everything relating to the time of death contradicts each other. Is that better"."

"That contradiction would disappear real quick if Ryuu would just admit he was lying when he said no one was in the bathroom when he left," Fujiko muttered.

"I already told you –" Ryuu growled.

"Yeah, well I don't believe a word comin' out of your lying mouth!" the navigator said with a huff.

"Guys!" Kotoko said almost desperately, holding up her hands as if trying to physically keep the pair apart. "Please! We don't need to start this argument again!"

"Whoever killed Tsuyoshi, just tell us," Rudolph said quietly. "Please? You should do the right thing."

"They already killed someone," Satsuki said. "They're obviously not interested in doing the right thing."

Misa stayed silent, her mind racing. Miyu was right. They still had more truth bullets to go through. But they didn't really point anywhere concrete. Yeah, Ryuu's testimony could be considered suspicious, but that didn't mean that Sumire was the killer. It could have easily been Shouko. Or Hoshina. Or literally any other girl whose only alibi was that they were asleep in their room. Yeah, they were pretty sure that whoever killed Tsuyoshi didn't know about the soundproofing, but what if the killer was banking on that conclusion? That would be an easy way to avoid suspicion. And then there was the problem with the puddle. Ryuu was, unfortunately, right. It could easily be twisted around to fit whatever time frame they wanted. If they just knew for sure how quickly it drained. That would solve most of their problems.

They had some theories that they just assumed were true, but that was it. It was nothing concrete. It was certainly nothing that they could convict a murderer on. Not when their very lives were on the line.

The trial room had gone quiet. Even Miyu didn't have much to say, her head bowed and shoulders slumped as she quickly paged through her truth bullets. Misa suddenly felt this horrible, sinking sensation. They weren't going to be able to pull this off. And that feeling was only made worse by Monokuma's overdramatic heave of a sigh.

"Man, you guys are bor-ring!" he complained with a pout. "You got stuck so quickly! You _are_ all Ultimates, right? I didn't kidnap a bunch lame normies, did I? Talk about wasted effort. I might as well just kill you all now and start over."

"W-what? That's n-not fair!" Itami cried.

"Yeah!" Ryo agreed. "Isn't there a rule that you can't hurt us?" He looked around for confirmation. "I'm right, right? I didn't make that up?"

"No, you didn't," Hoshina said. She stared at Monokuma, her remaining eye unblinking. Still, she kept her composure.

Monokuma's red eye glowed brighter. "There's also a rule that says that I can change them whenever I want. Like when a class trial is being a total snooze fest. Or maybe I should just make all of you vote right now. See what happens. I'd be doing the blackened a favor." He tilted his head to the side. "Hmmm… I like that idea." Protests immediately broke out, Miyu and, surprisingly, Zettai being the loudest. "Alright, everyone! Let's – "

"Fine. It was an accident."

Those five words stopped Monokuma in his tracks. His eyes narrowed, and for a brief, terrifying moment, pure rage twisted his features. Shoma didn't care. He just stood there with the same sullen expression on his face that had been there the entire trial, as if he hadn't just admitted that he murdered Tsuyoshi. The room came to life all at once, as if everyone else reached that conclusion at the same time.

"I knew this guy was weird!"

"Explain yourself, minion!"

"Are we still voting? I'm confused. Should I vote for him?"

"Fucking hell, kid."

"Another interesting decision…"

"How d-did you know?"

"I told you this case was simple."

"Shoma?" Hoshina asked hesitantly. His dark gaze slid over to her and she visibly swallowed. "What did you do?"

* * *

 **CLASS TRIAL SUSPSENDED**

 **ALL RISE**

* * *

 **Just as a general heads up, I am starting grad school tomorrow. I've been told that it's a ton of work, that it'll destroy my social life, etc. etc. etc. My goal and plan is to continue these weekly updates. But if that doesn't happen and I disappear for a couples of weeks, know that I'm probably drowning in code and wishing that I could be writing this instead.**

 **Anyways, let me know what you think of the trial format! I might mess around with it a bit between this chapter and the next. If there's anything I can do to make things more clear, let me know.**

 **Until next time!**


	11. Chapter One Part VII

**Welcome,** **everyone, to the last part of our first trial! Before we get started, I feel the need to put a general warning out here. I... _may_ have gone a little overboard on the execution in terms of violence. Now, you're in this fandom so I doubt that bothers you, but I live by the policy that it's better to over-warn than under-warn. With that out of the way, let's get started!**

 **liammarklh88: I'm really glad that you liked the first part of the trial! I was low key super nervous about it, but I'm glad that you liked the formatting. As for the fate of your son, I guess you'll just have to read on and see! And seriously, thanks for reviewing!**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: But I like making you feel feelings. The goal is to make you feel all the feelings, especially sadness. As for the cliffhanger... well, I may have cackled as I wrote it. I enjoy evil cliffhangers. They make me feel powerful. Thanks for reviewing, and I'm really glad that you liked the last chapter and its format!**

* * *

 **CLASS TRIAL IN SESSION**

 **ALL RISE**

* * *

Shoma closed his eyes, the sullen expression on his face smoothing out into something far more composed and relaxed. It was striking, really, and more than a little unnerving. In this moment, Misa would swear that he almost looked… _happy_ , if that was even the right word to describe it. No, happy felt like too pedestrian a word. It was like Shoma was finally at peace with himself.

"It's obvious. Right, Zettai? That's what you've been repeating all morning."

Zettai nodded slowly, something akin to uncertainty flickering in his eyes. "Of course," he said, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. Shoma hummed and opened his eyes.

"Then you won't mind explaining what I meant. Right? You've known this from the start."

"Exactly," he said. Was that a small hesitation there? Or did Misa imagine it? Hell, she'd hesitate in front of Shoma right now too. The look in his eyes scared her. Truly scared her to her core. It suited him far too well.

"There's nothing to explain. You just admitted to killing Tsuyoshi!" Sumire declared. Shoma's gaze slid to her.

"I didn't touch Tsuyoshi," he said. "If I had, I wouldn't have done something as stupid as stopping the vote, which you would know if you actually used the brain that you claim to have."

"That's the longest sentence I've ever heard him say," Kotoko whispered.

"Me too," Misa whispered back. They looked at each other for a moment, their expressions perfect mirrors of each other. Misa felt a sudden burst of gratitude towards the onomastician; she wasn't alone here. Shoma had turned his attention back to Zettai.

"Come on," he prompted. "Contribute to your own survival."

"Yes, of course," Zettai said. "I suppose watching everyone stumble around has gotten a little boring anyways. Not to mention dangerous." He glanced briefly at the silent Monokuma. The bear was completely devoid of emotion as it stared at Shoma. "But to explain how it was an accident. And no, not one of those ridiculous theories that Tsuyoshi slipped on a puddle and drowned. It was manslaughter."

"And we know this because…? Come on, now. We don't want Monokuma to grow bored waiting for you to get to the point," Shoma told him.

"Why don't you just say it then, huh?" Fujiko demanded. Shoma completely ignored her. "Hey! I asked you a question!"

"Because of what Monokuma said," Zettai said smoothly. He smirked, suddenly completely at ease. "Monokuma said that someone had caused Tsuyoshi's death. Odd choice of words when he could have just said that someone killed Tsuyoshi."

"Meaning that this wasn't premeditated," Satsuki said quietly. "The killer didn't want to kill Tsuyoshi. It just happened. It was an accident."

"Damn," Kat said. For once, he didn't have a joke ready. "That fucking sucks."

"It is still murder, minion," Shouko reminded him, but even she looked a little subdued. "And no one shall be a part of my glorious empire with blood on their hands."

"Did I pass?" Zettai asked Shoma, inclining his chin ever so slightly so that he can look down at him all that much more.

"With flying colors."

"Ya gotta be fucking kidding me," Ryuu said with a laugh that got stuck in his throat. "Ya just gonna believe them?"

Ryo tilted his head to the side. "Why wouldn't we? Aren't we supposed to trust what other people say? That's what we've been doing, right?"

"That was before fucking Hyde popped out over here," Ryuu said. "He's the fucking killer!"

"I agree. This feels far too convenient," Sumire said. "Something is wrong."

"Come on, Sumire. Use your brain," Zettai told her teasingly. She pressed her lips together into a thin line.

Misa found herself nodding. "What Shoma and Zettai said makes sense."

"No, it doesn't!" Misa turned to look at Miyu. The genetic engineer looked at her pleadingly, as if she could make Misa agree with her through sheer force of will. "This doesn't sit right with me. Why didn't they say something before?"

"Because Zettai's a dick?"

"Thank you, Misa. I appreciate that."

"Anytime, BB."

"I don't know… Shoma did kinda just save our lives," Kat said.

"B-but what if it's a t-trick?"

"Yeah! We need to talk about this more!" Fujiko said with a decisive nod.

"I really don't think that we do…" Satsuki trailed off.

"Minion, are you lying?" Shoma stared at Shouko flatly. "Understood."

"Yes. I trust Shoma," Hoshina said. "And Zettai. We should move forward with the assumption that the killer didn't mean to kill Tsuyoshi."

Kotoko shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said, sounding absolutely miserable. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Me either…" Rudolph agreed. Hoshina looked down at her feet.

"Oh. I see."

Zettai huffed, irritation clear on his face. "You're not just doubting Shoma. You're doubting me too."

"Not that big a stretch, kid."

"Oh, oh, oh!" Monokuma suddenly came to life, leaping to his feet. More than a couple of people flinched as he did so. "I spaced out for a second there. But do my cute, ursine ears deceive me? Or do we have a split decision?"

"No!" Miyu said quickly. But the word had barely left her mouth before Ryo started nodding.

"I think so! It's not even because we only have fifteen people but…"

"Ryo!" Sumire said sharply. The adventurer titled his head as he looked at her. "Where you dropped on the head as a child?" she asked. He pouted.

"That's not very nice!"

"Upupupupupup! Yay! I get to push one of my favorite buttons now!"

"The execution is held so lowly in your heart? What kind of Monokuma are you?" Shoma sneered.

"Listen, you bastard – "

"Junko wouldn't be very happy with you," he interrupted.

Monokuma muttered angrily under his breath before slamming his right paw down onto one of his throne's armrest. Misa quickly grabbed her Monopad as each trial stand shuddered to life. With the grinding of gears, they all rose into the air and arranged themselves into two rows that faced each other.

"Now, if the interruptions are over, it's the magical, morphing trial room!" Monokuma declared as his throne also rose to join them. "It's time for the one and only Scrum Debate! You all are organized into two teams. Convince everyone else that they suck and that your team is right!"

"How?" Rudolph asked. "We haven't been able to convince each other of anything yet. Why would this be any different?"

"I don't know. Figure it out, you boring normies! Listen to what the other teams says or whatever. Now start!"

* * *

 **SCRUM DEBATE**

 **Question: Is Shoma Blackened or Innocent?**

 **Team Blackened: Ryuu, Fujiko, Itami, Kotoko, Rudolph, Miyu, Sumire**

 **Team Innocent: Shoma, Zettai, Shouko, Misa, Kat, Satsuki, Ryo, Hoshina**

 **Ryuu: Shoma is the fucking killer! He** _ **admitted**_ **it!**

 **Shoma: I** _ **admitted**_ **nothing. Just pointed out Monokuma's words.**

 **Fujiko: What's if he's** _ **lying**_ **? We can't trust him!**

 **Zettai: Am I** _ **lying**_ **too? It's just not Shoma's word here.**

 **Itami: He's t-trying to t-t-** _ **trick**_ **us.**

 **Kat: That's a pretty complicated** _ **trick**_ **.**

 **Miyu: Why didn't he mention this** _ **earlier**_ **? Either of them?**

 **Misa: Because Zettai's a dick and Shoma's unengaged** _ **earlier**_ **. He's not now.**

 **Rudolph: How do we even know if they're** _ **right**_ **?**

 **Satsuki: How do you know that they're not** _ **right**_ **?"**

 **Sumire: Something isn't** _ **sitting**_ **right with me.**

 **Ryo: But we're not** _ **sitting**_ **. We're standing.**

 **Sumire: How is that a good response? You have** _ **nothing.**_

 **Shouko: Where's your proof of your side, minion? I see** _ **nothing**_ **.**

 **Kotoko: I just don't know if we can** _ **trust**_ **him.**

 **Hoshina: I know that we can** _ **trust**_ **Shoma!**

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"We said this earlier, but doubting everything will get us nowhere," Misa said as everyone's stands slowly sank back to the floor. "What they said makes sense. We should believe them. The killer didn't mean to kill Tsuyoshi. It was an accident. Right?" She met everyone's eyes, waiting for a nod or some other kind of confirmation before moving on to the next person.

Miyu crossed her arms. "I just want to know why the hell they didn't say anything earlier. And don't tell me it's because they're an asshole or a jerk or whatever! That's no excuse." She leaned forward, jabbing a finger at Shoma. "Besides, if this is what we get out of him when he hides in his room, think of how helpful he would have been if he investigated!"

"You really want to know why?" Shoma asked. Miyu looked like she wanted to shrink back but still nodded firmly. "It's because I – " He cut himself off, blinking rapidly. All at once, the color drained out of his face. "I… No… Nononononono. I backslid again. Not again. Not already." His voice was no more than a whisper. That light in his eyes that had chilled Misa's bones was gone, replaced by naked fear and panic. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that. I should have been better. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Stop looking at me!"

"Shoma, it's okay. Just breathe. You helped us. You did something good."

He shook his head wildly. "No. No! All of you just leave me alone! Don't talk to me!" He took a trembling step backwards and Monokuma was immediately on his feet.

"You stay where you are!" the bear growled. Shoma shook his head again, and Monokuma straightened, a calm smile blooming over his face. "The trial isn't over yet. You wouldn't want me to punish everyone because you left early, do you?"

That managed to stop Shoma, although his knees shook so badly that he looked like he was on the verge of collapse. His eyes were blank and unseeing, but he stepped further onto the stand. After a moment, Monokuma settled back down in his throne with a "Hmphf!"

Misa immediately looked at Zettai. The tactician, frankly, looked absolutely bewildered, and Misa was sure that she looked the same. What the fuck was that? A second personality or something? She thought that only happened in movies or video games. Zettai finally looked at her and frowned. She inclined her head, and he nodded slightly. Good. They were definitely going to talk about this afterwards then.

"We should keep moving," Hoshina said. "Now that we know that Tsuyoshi's death was accidental, we'll be able to figure something out."

"B-but he just freaked out," Itami said. "C-can we t-trust him?"

"Of course," Hoshina said, smoothly turning to look at the patient with her patented gentle smile. Make no mistake though; there was a strong undercurrent to her voice that would not tolerate any arguments. "The decision that we came to is still a good one."

"I think I have a theory. Can I share it?" Rudolph asked, lightly bouncing up and down in order to catch everyone's attention.

"Speak, minion!"

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Monokuma File #1 | Argument | Tsuyoshi's Room**

 **Shouko:** Speak! What theory resides in your twisted mind?

 **Rudolph:** Hey! My mind isn't that twisted!

 **Kotoko:** It's a very interesting mind.

 **Rudolph:** Thanks! I think so too!

 **Miyu:** Rudolph! Your theory?

 **Rudolph:** Right! Now, please don't get mad at me, but what if _**Tsuyoshi tried to kill someone.**_

 **Ryo:** WHAT?! _**Tsuyoshi was so nice though**_! Like a sweet chipmunk or something.

 **Rudolph:** I know. But it makes a little bit of sense!

 **Sumire:** How on earth does that make sense? I'm actually agreeing with Ryo here.

 **Rudolph:** Because then the blackened could have fought back!

 **Rudolph:** They have a fight and accidentally push Tsuyoshi into the shower!

 **Itami:** _**That sounds s-stupid**_.

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Tsuyoshi's Room**

 _Nope! Try again!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"I really don't think your theory is right, Rudolph," Misa said.

"No? Why not? Not that I want Tsuyoshi to be a potential murderer. But it makes sense! And it would be an exciting story."

"This isn't a story!" Miyu said. "And Tsuyoshi wouldn't do that!"

"Rudolph, I didn't see an evidence that Tsuyoshi was trying to kill someone," Misa said. "Ryuu and I looked all over his room. There was nothing. Right?"

"You and I gotta stop agreeing," Ryuu muttered before clearing his throat. "Yeah. There was nothin.'"

"Oh," Rudolph said. "Well, that's still good!"

"Except now we no longer have any theories," Satsuki said.

"Any theories, Shoma?" Zettai asked, honestly probably just to be mean. Shoma shrank further in on himself without saying a word. Hoshina looked like she desperately wanted to say something, but settled for giving Shoma an encouraging smile instead.

"What possible motive does that leave for us then?" Sumire asked. "If it wasn't self-defense, but it was still manslaughter, then what's left? Roughhousing? Momentary crime of passion?"

"N-no," Itami said.

"No?"

Itami just shook his head. Sumire barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Fujiko frowned, scratching the back of her neck.

"Can accidents even have motives? I don't know if this is what we need to be focusing on."

"We need to focus on something," Miyu said. She sighed. "But I don't know. Maybe you're right."

"No, accidents can have motives."

"Kit Kat?" Misa asked quietly. The explosives technician shrugged and forced a weak smile.

"Don't worry, Solo. This isn't a confession. Not that kind of boy. But maybe the blackened meant to do something else, maybe scare Tsuyoshi or try to teach him a lesson or something, and it all went… really, really bad."

"Oh, Kat…" Kotoko said softly, looking for all the world like she wanted to reach out and hug him.

"Okay then, let's run with that for a second," Miyu said. "Is there anything we can use to support that?"

* * *

 **What could be the blackened's motive?**

 **-SELECT TRUTH BULLET-**

 **ARGUMENT**

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"Hey, didn't Itami and Tsuyoshi have a big argument?" Misa asked.

"S-so?" Itami demanded.

"So… that could be a motive?" she said. "You guys get into a fight, you see him in the bathroom and decide to start it again, things go horribly, terribly wrong?"

Itami stubbornly shook his head. "T-that's not what h-happened. I didn't t-touch him."

"But you guys did have an argument," Misa pressed.

"Yes!" Ryo said with a decisive nod of his head. "Kat and I told you so during the investigation! It was very loud."

"It was n-nothing."

"Really?" Zettai asked. "I wasn't even at your silly powwow and I still heard about it. That doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"S-shut up!" Itami told him. "I didn't hurt T-t-tsuyoshi!"

Ryuu narrowed his eyes. "Could still be a motive, kid. Maybe not yours, but someone's."

"What do you mean?" Sumire asked. "Someone used the argument in order to target Tsuyoshi?"

"No, that doesn't work," Miyu said, skating her head. "That would mean that it wasn't an accident."

Sumire looked away with a huff. "Then it's another dead end."

"Hey, guys? Maybe we don't say stuff like that?" Fujiko said, looking nervously at Monokuma. But the bear didn't look bored. Yet, anyways. It was just staring at Shoma, who was determined not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Think, minions… and underling! There is always a solution!" Shouko declared, thrusting a pointed finger to the sky. "We merely must delve to the depths of despair to reach it!"

Fujiko looked at her flatly. "Yeah, we probably shouldn't say stuff like that either."

Misa ignored them in favor of staring at Itami. There was something about him that was bugging her. Well, it was more that Zettai's comments about him were bugging her. Before today, he had barely even looked at the kid. Now he was making comments and talking about Itami's backbone? Why? And why did that even bug her? Zettai was his own person. He was free to be a jerk towards anyone he wanted, as long as it wasn't her. Or Miyu. Or Kat. Or… alright, so he wasn't free to be a jerk. But still, there was something wrong here. Did Zettai think that he was the killer? Sure, there was the argument, but nothing else really pointed…

Misa's eyes widened. She could barely hear her own soft gasp of surprise over the sudden buzzing in her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zettai's satisfied smile.

"Misa?" Kotoko asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Did," she said. "How did you know?"

"Misa, what is it?" Miyu asked. "Did you figure something out?"

She nodded, the muscles in her neck fighting her for every inch. Her eyes were locked on Itami, who at this point was way past pale and well on his way to looking green. That more than anything gave her the strength to start talking. "When Shoma said that it was an accident, you said 'How did you know?' Why not 'do?' Wouldn't that be the right word there? How do you know? Tell me I wasn't the only one to catch that."

"Mein Gott," Shouko said.

"How did I not notice that?" Sumire asked, speaking more to herself than anyone else.

"N-no!" Itami shouted. "N-no! I d-didn't s-s-say that!"

"Yes, you did," Zettai told him. "I heard it too."

"And you didn't say anything?" Fujiko growled. Zettai shrugged.

"Misa had it under control."

Yeah, right. Seriously, what was his plan here? He had to have some kind of plan, right? This couldn't all be random.

"S-shut up!" Itami cried. "You're lying!"

"No, I'm not," Misa said. "I haven't lied once this whole trial. Which is honestly kinda surprising. I really thought that I would have had to by now."

"Da fuck would you say that, kid?" Ryuu asked.

"What can I say? It's the truth."

"Stupid truth."

"The truth usually is."

"Guys!" Miyu yelled, slammer her hands down on her banister. Misa and Ryuu immediately shut up. Miyu took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. After a count of five, she opened them again, although she didn't really look calmer. "Misa, you're saying that Itami did this?" she asked.

"It's one hell of a slip of a tongue," Misa said.

"I-I didn't," Itami protested again.

"Really, every time you say that, you only sound more suspicious," Sumire pointed out.

"But we were all friends," Miyu said, completely ignoring them. Her voice wavered but didn't break. "We were buddies, right? The three of us. A group."

And then Misa got it. Really, she should have realized it before. Out of everyone here, Itami was probably the very last person that Miyu wanted to be the blackened. He was the one person that she had really fought for as important. The boy who could cure everything. Her friend who had killed the one person here that she had been closest to.

And Itami had killed him. Misa didn't have any more doubts. The certainty had settled in her gut like a lead weight. Her tongue was dry and sticky in her mouth. Pressing forward with this, really pressing forward without stopping or getting distracted or being swayed to another theory, would mean that they damn Itami. It was easy to forget that while they just threw out ideas without knowing if they would stick or not. But the reality of what they were about to do suddenly pressed heavily on Misa's mind. For some of the gentler souls, it would be like they killed him themselves. Even if they didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Misa looked at Zettai, silently pleading for him to say something, to just get the ball rolling. He just held out a hand, as if to say _after you_. Of course. Why would he actually get involved and say something important? He would only do that if cornered.

Her next look was to Sumire, but she couldn't catch the other girl's eye. And even if she could, her expression was cold and closed off. There would be no help there.

She wouldn't even think of asking Miyu to lead this.

Fine. She would just have to do this herself then. And if anyone asked or got angry or started to cry, then they could all just blame her for what was about to happen. She could handle that. She was strong enough to do that.

Misa took a deep breath and waited for Ryo to shut up about how he didn't know what was going on. If he would listen, she was about to tell him. Finally, there was a lull in the conversation.

"Itami, do you have an alibi for around five in the morning?" she asked.

"We still on this 5 am shit?" Ryuu asked.

"I thought our first breakdown was because we couldn't determine a time," Satsuki added.

"It's the most realistic time we have," Misa said. "It lets the blood be dry and his hair be wet."

"Doesn't sound right, kid," Ryuu said.

"Then give me a better time. Oh, wait, you can't," Misa snapped.

"Don't ya try to intimidate me."

"Give me a better time."

"Guys, stop. Let's just let Itami give his alibi and we can move on to someone else," Miyu said. She looked at him hopefully. "You have one, right?"

"I…" Itami's face suddenly lit up. "Y-yes!" He pulled out his Monopad with shaking hands and quickly scrolled through it. "S-sumire's Ac-count."

"My account?" she asked. "Oh, yes, I see it on mine as well. I went to the dining room at 4:30 am. Kat and Zettai joined me at 4:50, and Shouko at 5:20."

"And I j-joined at 5:00 am exc-c-catly!" Itami said. "T-there!"

Miyu didn't quite cry in relief, but it was a close thing. "So then you can't be the killer. You have an alibi."

Misa's heart dropped to her feet. "No, he doesn't."

* * *

 **Why doesn't Itami have an alibi?**

 **A) The clocks were wrong**

 **B) Misa wants Itami to be the killer**

 **C) No one saw him in the dining room**

* * *

 _I'm sorry. But it can't be anything else._

"The clocks were different. By twenty minutes," she said. Itami's skin was definitely a nice, pasty green at this point. Miyu's was right behind him.

"W-what?"

"The dining room clock is twenty minutes slow. So you didn't get there until 5:20. Which is plenty of time for you to kill Tsuyoshi."

"Who the hell changed the clocks?" Fujiko asked.

"Hm? Oh! That was me," Monokuma piped up. "I wanted to see how long it would take someone to notice."

"You c-changed the clocks?" Itami asked.

"Yup!"

"W-what about Zettai and K-kat?" he demanded. "T-they fit the window."

"Hey, don't put this on me!" Kat told him. "I'm not the one who looks like pea soup right now."

"Besides," Zettai added, "That would only give us ten minutes to kill Tsuyoshi, calm down, and clean up any evidence from ourselves. Less, once you factor in the fact that it took us a few minutes to reach the dining room."

"You could do it…" Rudolph trailed off.

"But it isn't likely," Kotoko finished. "Not when we have someone with a twenty minute window." She covered her mouth with her hand as the realization of what she just said hit her. "Oh my God. Itami, why?"

"Itami. Tell me it isn't true," Miyu said. "Please. You wouldn't kill Tsuyoshi."

"He did," Misa said, and internally winced as soon as she did so. Apparently, she had never heard of tact. That could have definitely been worded better. Or actually, not said at all. Yep, judging by the horrific glare Miyu was giving her, she really should have just kept her mouth shut. Wow. She didn't know that someone could look that angry.

"I…" Itami fell silent. His hands balled into fists. When he finally looked at Misa, there was a stubborn set to his jaw that would have put a bull to shame. "I w-won't accept this. You c-can't pin t-this on me."

"We're not pinning anything on you," Misa told him. "You're the most likely suspect. Hell, you're the only one who could have done it!"

"Says the m-murderer!"

Misa breathed in sharply, her own hands tightening into fists. "Yeah, because that's a convincing defense. A+, Itami, really."

"S-shut up!"

"Another killer defense. Oh, wow. That was a Kat worthy pun."

"S-stop it."

"Make me. Give me something. Prove to me that anything I've said is wrong!"

"Misa, back off a little," Hoshina told her.

"No! I won't. Not until Itami –"

"I'M NOT A M-MURDERER!" he finally screamed. "You are! S-stop looking at m-me like y-you're innocent! You're n-not! M-murderer! Killer!"

Misa blinked in surprise. Wow. That was… Kat and Ryo weren't kidding when they said that Itami had a pair of lungs on him. But actually, this was a good thing. This was a panicked reaction. You never thought clearly when you panicked. You said and did things that you didn't mean to do. She could use this. She just had to trip Itami up somehow.

* * *

 **ARMAMENT ARGUMENT**

 **Itami:** M-murder!

BREAK!

 **Itami:** Y-you're the killer!

BREAK!

 **Itami:** I didn't k-kill him!

BREAK!

 **Itami:** L-leave me alone!

BREAK!

 **Itami:** Why d-don't you b-believe me?

BREAK!

 **Itami:** I didn't w-want to hurt him.

BREAK!

 **Itami:** It w-was Kat or Zettai!

BREAK!

 **Itami:** Hypocrite m-murderer!

BREAK!

 **Itami:** I just w-want to live.

BREAK!

 **Itami:** It wasn't m-my fault.

BREAK!

 **Itami:** S-shut up! P-please.

BREAK!

 **FINAL BLOW**

 **Itami:** There's n-no p-proof that I k-killed Tsuyoshi!

 **THE WHITE | FOUND | WE | FIBERS**

 _Enough. You know this is the end._

 **ANSWER: THE WHITE FIBERS WE FOUND**

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"The w-what?" Itami asked, even as his anger and rage drained away.

"Shouko's white fibers," Misa repeated. "They were important after all."

"Ha! The Iron Maiden is never wrong!"

"Hey, not the time for that," Kat told her.

"Why are they important?" Miyu asked quietly.

"They can tie Itami to the scene. A couple of days ago, I startled him, making him fall over. The first thing he did was to check the bandages on his arms to make sure that they were okay. I bet they fray easy, especially if you rub them against something rough like a tile floor. Or if you fall against them after the shock of killing someone."

"So, if we explore his room, we should find frayed bandages somewhere, probably stuffed in a drawer," Zettai said thoughtfully. "I doubt he would have been thinking clearly enough to dispose of them elsewhere."

"This is still circumstantial evidence. Hardly proof," Sumire pointed out. "Are we going to condemn a man on that?"

"Nah, look at him," Fujiko said. "There's your proof."

Itami was silent, his chin trembling as he fought to hold back tears. He had pulled his teddy bear from his pocket and hugged it tightly to his chest. But above all, he was broken. There was no more fight in him. Misa had won. Despite everything, she still felt that rush of victory in her chest. Guilt followed immediately after. This really wasn't anything to celebrate.

"Ya done talking, kid?" Ryuu asked. Itami squeezed his eyes shut. "Take that as a yes."

"I just… I don't understand what happened," Miyu said. "Itami, please. You need to explain." He stubbornly stayed silent. "Please!" She looked around, her gaze finally falling on Misa. Misa immediately looked away, unsure of what she would find there. "Can you explain it then?"

"Can't anyone else?" she asked. "I've done almost everything else."

"Which means no one knows the facts like you," Zettai said. "Come on, Misa. Or will you leave Miyu hanging like that?"

Misa wetted her lips and drew a shaky breath. "Fine. Home stretch then. Let's wrap this thing up."

* * *

 **CLOSING ARGUMENT**

 _Let me take you through it._

We don't know the exact specifics of what happened. However, there are more than enough clues for us to piece together what happened. And in the face of the blackened's behavior during trial… But let's stay with the facts right now.

Everything really started with Monokuma's motive announcement: four of us were planning on killing someone. Whether this was the truth or a lie doesn't really matter. It still set the stage for this case. Hoshina and Kotoko decided to host an event where everyone could get to know each other and become friends. They hoped that this would make us trust each other more. Tsuyoshi probably came to the event with that same hope.

The blackened also attended that event, after missing breakfast that morning. Almost everyone was there, minus a few exceptions due to the… let's go with character assassination, since this is my explanation and I can say what I want. The event was going well until Tsuyoshi and the blackened got into an argument involving the blackened's Ultimate talent. This was a very loud, very public and very angry argument that almost everyone heard or heard of. It ended with the blackened running out of the room.

I can't pretend to know what the blackened was thinking during the next few hours. If they were angry, hurt, scared… all of the above… but they were not thinking about murder. The real tragedy of this case is that what will soon happen was an accident. Completely unintentional. But, it did happen. The blackened and Tsuyoshi were both in the showers at around 5:00 am. They could get in because Rule 5 dictates that the girls can't enter the showers until 6:00. They were also alone.

This is where the details admittedly get a little hazy. Maybe the pair restarted the argument, or Tsuyoshi surprised the blackened, who reacted violently. The result is the same no matter what. The blackened pushed Tsuyoshi away from them, sending them flying into the edge of one of the showers. The impact knocked Tsuyoshi out instantly, and he fell face first into the puddle caused by the crappy and slow shower drain. One of the two had probably showered immediately before their confrontation, which formed the puddle. The blackened didn't think to move Tsuyoshi, and the scientist drowned.

By this point, the blackened must have known that they had killed someone. They spent the next twenty minutes calming down and attempting to appear normal. This included replacing the bandages on their arms, which had become damaged during the scuffle. With this done, they went to the dining room and secure an alibi. Except two things were wrong. The clock in the dining room showed the wrong time, screwing up his alibi, and his bandages had left behind some fibers on the tile floor.

And this is why Tsuyoshi's killer has to be you, Itami Toyaku, the Ultimate Patient!

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"So that's it? It sounds so simple when you put it like that," Miyu said. "And it's true?"

Itami sniffed. "Y-yeah."

"So, you finally admit your guilt, minion. Our path forward is clear," Shouko said. "Bring forward the votes."

"Wait!" Kotoko pleaded. "You know what that means. Punishment here means a death penalty. It always does in Killing Games. How can we do this?"

"Refusal means our own death," Shouko told her. "And that, I shall not allow!"

"It's not really our fault. It's Monokuma's," Rudolph said. "Right? He's making us do this. So it's his fault."

"But we'll still carry the guilt," Hoshina said quietly. "It's human nature."

"Well, duh!" Monokuma said. "That's part of the fun! It'd be even more boring if you were all a bunch of unfeeling psychopaths!"

"Oh, shut up, you stupid bear!" Fujiko told him.

"Nope! It's my duty to oversee this trial! Especially this part! Time to do the great Junko Enoshima proud! Oh, wait. I'm getting ahead of myself. First, it's voting time! Pull out your Monopads and pick the name of the person you think is the blackened. It's that easy!"

As he spoke, Misa's Monopad flickered a few times before showing an obnoxiously pink screen. Everyone's faces were lined up in neat two by 8 rows. One of the faces was completely black and had a pink X through it. She assumed that was Tsuyoshi.

"Tick tock! Hurry up and cast your votes!"

* * *

 **IT'S VOTING TIME!**

 **MISA, CAST YOUR VOTE!**

Shoma Hirano

Zettai Noseifuku

Rudolph Sminov-Sakaguchij

-Tsuyoshi Genda-

Katashi Koizumi

 **Itami Toyaku**

Ryuu Hagiwara

Ryo Fujimoto

Miyu Shimizu

Kotoko Moto

Misa Katsu

Fujiko Ozawa

Satsuki Enomoto

Shouko Sakamura

Sumire Aoshima

Hoshina Kaminaga

* * *

 **RESULTS!**

 **Itami Toyaku: 14 votes**

 **Misa Katsu: 1 vote**

* * *

 **CONGRATULATIONS!**

 **ITAMI IS THE BLACKENED!**

* * *

 **CLASS TRIAL END!**

 **ALL RISE!**

* * *

Glittery confetti fell from the ceiling as the sounds of bells and whistles exploded through the courtroom. Misa held out her hand to catch a white piece of confetti, crumpling it as she squeezed her fist around it. There was that rush of victory again. Annnnnnd there was the guilt. Right on cue. She had gotten it right. She won.

How many more times would she have to do this? Two? Three? Five? They'd start running out of people once they go through enough trials.

The one vote for her didn't really bug her that much. It was obviously Itami, trying to claim one, last, spiteful action. She couldn't blame him for that. Hell, she would do the exact same thing. She was a petty bitch like that.

A red, metallic piece of confetti landed on Itami's head, followed by another one. He held his teddy bear tucked under his chin. Miyu left her stand and slowly walked over to him. Misa watched them from where she was, but caught Shoma out of the corner of her eye making an immediate beeline for the elevator and banging his fist against its doors when it wouldn't open for him.

"Can I give you a hug?" Miyu asked. Itami turned and looked at her suspiciously.

"W-why?"

"Because you're still my friend. I'm pissed yeah, but I never wanted this to happen!"

"I'm n-not your friend."

"What are you talking about? Of course you are."

"N-no, I'm n-not. You just see me as a t-test subject," he said. Miyu's face immediately fell.

"That's not – "

"I d-don't even like you," Itami told her, because apparently there was nothing like impending doom to make you brutally honest. "I h-hated being around you and Tsuyoshi. H-hated it! You two would never l-l-leave me alone!" Miyu took a small step back, obviously searching for the right words to say here. Or any words, really. Itami didn't give her the chance to find them. "I just wanted to be n-normal! And you wouldn't let m-me!"

"And that's an excuse to kill him?" Sumire asked, completely cutting into the conversation. "All you had to do was roll him over and Tsuyoshi would be alive right now. You do realize this, yes?"

"I d-didn't mean to. He s-scared me and I-I-I pushed him and he f-fell."

"So that's your excuse. Interesting."

"It was his f-fault!" Itami said, pointing at Ryuu. The bounty hunter looked around with wide eyes. "He made me s-scared!"

"Da fuck did I do? Own up to it, kid. Ya killed him. Not me."

"Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk," Monokuma sighed. "Does it really matter why Itami did it? He still killed someone."

"But we still need to say goodbye!" Ryo said. "He can't leave without us saying goodbye! It's not nice!"

"When am I ever nice?" Monokuma asked. "Hell, dragging poor Itami off to be executed before you all have your precious heart to hearts would be so much more despair inducing, dontcha think?" He burst out laughing. "Man, out of everyone, I'm so glad that our very first blackened was you, Itami. After all, you're _important_."

The way that he said that made Misa's skin crawl, and she could see Miyu shudder. Maybe it was just that she had come out of a trial that had hinged on words, but that word choice felt way too specific. And of course it was. Monokuma had cameras everywhere. He probably recorded their entire conversation about who they should save and who was disposable.

"If someone like you can be so easily driven to murder," the bear continued, "then what could possible happen to everyone else? Just how depraved will they turn if I just give them the right incentive?"

"We won't!" Fujiko yelled. "We're going to fight you and get out of here and kick your ass!"

"Upupupupup. If you say so. But first, we have some business to finish. It's PUNISHMENT TIME!" He all but swooned. "Oh, it's been so long since I said that!"

A large, red button rose out of the floor. Monokuma procured a gavel out of thin air and slammed it down on the button. Misa straightened her shoulders and stared straight ahead. The least she could do was watch this.

A chain burst out of the wall and wrapped itself around Itami's throat. Before he could cry out, it yanked him back and out through a new, teenage-sized hole in the wall. His teddy bear fell to the ground and laid face down on the stand.

* * *

 **EXECUTION TIME!**

 **ULTIMATE ORGAN DONOR**

Itami was strapped down to a hospital gurney, only able to move his head form side to side. Three Monokumas, each dressed as a nurse, raced him down one hallway and up another. Finally, they ran through a set of double doors clearly marked as "Operating Room." The nurses wheeled Itami into the middle of the room, and one of them flicked on the bright overhead lamp. Itami squeezed his eyes shut against the sudden, blinding light. He was left there alone. Exposed. Helpless. Unable to move.

And then the surgeon arrived. It was another Monokuma, and he carefully placed a facemask over his muzzle. One of the nurses brought him a tray of tools. The wicked edges and sharp points glinted in the light. Itami began to struggle desperately against his bonds as the surgeon picked up a scalpel and slowly walked over to him. But it was no use. The straps were too tight. He could barely wiggle as the surgeon stepped closed and closer.

The first cut was across Itami's stomach, staining his T-Shirt red with the blood that came spilling out. The surgeon reached inside of the incision, rooted around for a bit, and pulled out something that looked like a chunk of liver. He promptly placed it inside of a waiting cooler.

Next came the eyes. Then Itami's tongue. Then kidneys, the pancreas, a lung, part of the intestine. Each came with its matching cut, its matching spray of blood. Each was placed inside of it's own cooler.

Finally, it was the heart's turn. Finally, Itami, gasping for air and choking on his own blood, had reached the point where his body simply gave out. His body stilled and sagged lifeless against the now blood-soaked restraints. The surgeon stared at Itami's heart and contemplated placing it inside of a cooler of its very own. That is, until he slammed it onto the ground and stomped it until it was red paste.

* * *

Misa felt the familiar burn of bile rise up in her throat as around her people cough and gagged and retched. She forced it back down, incredibly glad that she hadn't eaten yet today, but her skin was still cold and clammy and covered in sweat. Her immediate thought was that she needed to take a shower. But that was where Tsuyoshi's body was. Where he was killed.

But even beyond that, there was one thought pounding inside her brain in time with her pounding heart.

She had done this. This was her doing. And she would probably have to do it again.

* * *

 **And so, we bring an end to Trial One. Hopefully it was a good one with a satisfying conclusion. I still got one more chapter after this before we wrap up and move onto Chapter Two. Start thinking about who you might want to have FTEs with! The poll for that will be up next week.**

 **Until next time!**


	12. Chapter One End

**Wow, the end of Chapter One. I can't believe that it's already here! Thank you so much to everyone for sticking with me so far. I really do appreciate it. Also, this is going to be a blanket reply since I think basically all of the reviews mentioned it: Yeah, Itami's execution was very brutal. People should not let me create executions. I... take it a step far.**

 **TheRoseShadow21: I'm really glad that everything made sense! That was honestly one of my big worries - that the solution would just feel super random. Glad you liked the first case!**

 **TheUbermenschWriter: I told you Tsuyoshi would get justice. Even if it did end up being an accident in the end. Thanks for the feedback on the** **trial format. I'll play around with it a bit more in the future.**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Shoma's section was probably my favorite part to write. (After the execution. What? Me? Weird? Nah.) I've really enjoyed hearing theories on just what is going on with him. And yes, I love confetti too. Figured there should be some kind of celebration marking the end of the trial. Better than glitter explosions!**

 **liammarklh88: I'M SORRY! Someone had to be the first killer! It just happened to be Itami. And hey, at least you've gone through the experience of losing an OC. You're welcome for that. I can understand if reading is a bit harder now, but I still appreciate the effort to try and stick with it!**

 **Abitat Eco: Hello! Thank you for reviewing! (Seriously, I wasn't kidding when I said that it made me cry.) I loved reading all of your thoughts on everything that's happened so far. And I'm so glad that you're enjoying the way that I'm writing Kat! He's been challenging my pun-making abilities, but he's a lot of fun to write. Thanks again! :)**

 **EagleWar07: Thanks for sending her! I'm really glad that you're enjoying everything so far!**

* * *

In school, the teachers used to talk about Despair. How it made people do awful things. How it pushed them far beyond the bounds of normal humanity. How it twisted them and corrupted them into something subhuman, something that needed to be stopped at any cost. But these were still clinical descriptions. It's hard to take them seriously when you're ten or eleven or twelve. It's hard to _know_. To actually know and feel Despair curling in your gut and infecting your heat and scrambling your mind.

Back then, when Misa would half-listen to the listens and count down the seconds until she could finally leave, she laughed at the idea of a force so powerful that it could rip apart the fabric of society as easily as she tore through a tissue. It was ridiculous. Exaggerated stories meant to keep kids in line, complacent and obedient.

She was wrong. She was very, very wrong.

Her entire body felt numb, like her insides had been scooped out with a shovel. Or, you know, torn out by a surgeon. She forced bile back down again and finally tore her eyes away from the blood-soaked scene and onto the teddy bear that had fallen from Itami's hands. Misa slowly drifted over to it and picked it up, rubbing the worn fur of its ears.

Sumire and Zettai had almost identical reactions: stiff and stone-faced. But Sumire was obviously forcing herself to look unemotional and unconcerned, which people only did in the face of intense, overpowering emotions. Zettai's reaction almost looked natural, if not for the faint tremble running through his body.

Everyone else was in various stages of shock, horror and nausea. Rudolph had gotten sick, and Ryo looked like he was right behind him. That was enough to shake Hoshina out of her stupor, her need to care for others overriding whatever else she might be feeling. Kotoko had joined Shoma by the elevators. They both tried again and again to call the elevator down, to finally leave this awful place, but the doors never opened. Satsuki simply looked numb, like things simply weren't processing correctly. Still, she mechanically rubbed an arm up and down a sobbing Fujiko's back.

"How horrific…" was the only reaction Shouko could muster up. Her German accent still remained firmly in place.

Kat… had emotionally and mentally shut down. There was really no other way to describe it. He had somehow found his way onto the ground, his knees pulled up tightly to his chest with his arms wrapped around them. He squeezed his eyes shut and muttered to himself under his breath. A prayer or an apology or both… Misa couldn't really make out the words.

And behind all of this, Monokuma's deranged laughter. It echoed throughout the room, seemingly for hours before he finally stopped.

"Ah, that's the stuff. Do you think Momma Junko would be proud of me, Shoma? I did try my best to live up to execution expectations! You were right. This _is_ my favorite part of the game!"

Shoma covered his ears with his hands and shook his head.

"Aw, is that a 'no'? I guess I'll just have to try harder next time!"

"There won't be a next time," Miyu said. She was shaking as tears streaked down her cheeks, taking her makeup with it. "There won't. We won't do this again."

Monokuma bent at the waist so that his chest was parallel to the ground. "Huh? You know… I think I've heard that one before."

"What's the point?" Misa asked. Her voice sounded hollow, even to her ears.

"Whaddaya mean?" Monokuma asked.

"There's always a point, right? So why now? Why us? Why are you making us do this?"

"Oh, wow. Those are some heavy hitting questions there!" he said, springing back into an upright position. He placed his paws over his mouth. "Am I even allowed to answer those yet? I don't know, those might be six body questions!"

"Just tell us!" Sumire demanded.

"Hm." That stupid, awful, horrific bear slowly looked at each Ultimate, his eyes finally falling and lingering on Misa. "I want to destroy false perfection. All you Ultimates, with your talents and your blessings. As if none of you have any… secrets. I'm gonna drag you all through the mud and blood and show this Ship that you're no different anyone else." He giggled. "And what better way to do that than through despair?"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Zettai said without an ounce of emotion in his voice.

"Upupupupup! That's me! Your favorite ridiculous bear!" He paused mid-twirl, cocking his head to the side as if listening to a voice that only he could hear. "Oops. Guess I gave away a bit too much too fast. Whelp. That's what they get for leaving me alone!" He completed his twirl with a flourish.

"They?" Misa repeated.

Monokuma froze. "Wha? Huh? Oh, they. Singular they or plural? Who can tell? Who can tell? Not me. Buh-bye!"

He leapt into the air and disappeared behind his throne. No one bothered to check to see where he actually went. It definitely wasn't a hurried retreat. Anyone who said that would have been swiftly punished.

Shoma and Kotoko immediately left once the elevator doors opened and let them in.

"Well. That was fun," Ryuu said. His tone was no different than what someone would use to talk about a mildly diverting board game. Out of everyone, he actually did genuinely look unaffected. A little green around the gills, maybe, but emotionally? Mentally? He looked good.

Fuck that.

"Oh, just shut up," Misa growled.

"Relax, kid. We won. 'Sides, better him than us."

Miyu rounded on him, outraged. Misa beat her to it. "It was your fault!"

"Da fuck you talking about? I didn't do nothing," he insisted, taking a threatening step closer to her. Oh, is that how he wanted to play it? Fine. She strode right up to him and shoved a finger in his face.

"You heard Itami. You hadn't run your stupid fucking mouth – "

"You talkin' about my airing your dirty laundry? That was just the truth, kid."

"I am not a murderer!" Misa screamed. She swallowed thickly and repeated herself, quieter this time. "I am not a murderer. But you made Itami scared. You took Monokuma's motive and cranked it up to eleven."

"That's not my fault, kid," Ryuu said with a shake of his head.

"You deliberately made the situation worse!" Misa insisted. In the back of her mind, she could feel everyone watching them. Well, everyone who was still present enough to pay attention to their surroundings. "You deliberately spread fear and suspicion for some reason that I'm sure is complete bullshit!"

"Hey! I was – "

"Take responsibility for your words, Ryuu," she interrupted. "Own up to it."

"Nothing to own up to, kid."

"She's right," Fujiko said quietly. "You just made things worse. Right, Satsuki?"

Satsuki looked distinctly displeased to be put on the spot, but she still nodded. "People started jumping at shadows. Not everyone. But the people already scared were terrified once they heard."

"Yeah, 'cuz it's Misa," Fujiko said, her voice growing stronger. "If someone like her could be a murderer then we're screwed."

"Fucking hell. You're all crazy," Ryuu said. "Not my fucking fault!"

"Yeah, well it wasn't Itami's either!" Miyu snapped. "It was an accident, remember? Monokuma still didn't care."

"I'm not just gonna let you fucking blame me!" Ryuu yelled. He looked around, eyes landing on an impassive Sumire. He scoffed when she said nothing. "Nice. Appreciate the help here."

"I'm still trying to figure out if I agree with them or not," Sumire said. "If Itami was less on edge, would he have reacted like that?"

"Who fucking knows?" Ryuu demanded.

"Indeed," she said.

Misa looked around the room. In any other situation, she would have grinned. It was just a tiny change in the air, but people needed some place to direct their fear, their anger. It wasn't entirely intentional, but Misa just gave them a place to put it. She slowly slipped away as Fujiko stepped forward, her tears melting away to rage as she started yelling at Ryuu for, among other things, being an "unfeeling psychopath who can't tell right from wrong."

No one noticed when she stepped onto the elevator and let the doors close behind her. She slumped against the wall, turning the teddy bear over in her hands. Now that she was alone, it felt like she could finally breathe deeply. She could finally feel the tangled ball of hurt and fear in her chest unravel itself.

Misa closed her eyes and shoved that ball far away, deeper into her core where it wouldn't do anything or bother her or hurt anyone. She could deal with it later, once she got out of here, once she found Tetsu. Just his name made her chest ache. Was he even still alive? Did they just kill him whenever they kidnapped her? That would have been the simplest solution. It wasn't like he would just let them take her.

Not like she would just let them take her either.

Ugh, what had actually happened then? If she just knew _something_ , she would…

The elevator doors opened, dropping Misa off in an empty hallway. Still, she paused that train of thought and filed it away for later. Much later. She let herself into her room and carefully placed the teddy bear on the desk. After a moment, she spun it around so that the eyes wouldn't follow her everywhere.

It would be so easy to just sit here and do nothing. That's honestly what Misa wanted to do. Just take the rest of the day and do nothing but wallow in emotions that she had no business feeling. But she knew herself. One day would turn into two, would turn into a week, would turn into an endless cycle that renewed itself every time someone died.

(Would someone else turn killer? Of course they would. How could she even question that?)

She needed to move. She needed to sleep, but not too much, because that could be dangerous. Despite her lack of appetite, she still needed to eat something. Hell, just getting some calories in her would probably be more than enough to ease the pounding headache at the base of her skull. Misa looked over her shoulder one last time at Itami's teddy bear and slipped out into the hall. She took the long way around in order to avoid walking past the trial room. But that brought her directly past Itami's room, and Miyu, who stood in front of it. Misa almost backtracked – this seemed like a pretty private moment – but she was already spotted.

"I tried to get in, but I couldn't. I… He didn't even like me," Miyu said as soon as she was close enough. "We spent so much time together, and he thought that I just wanted to use him."

Oh, the urge to say that she kinda did really want to use him. But that would hardly be appropriate right now, so instead Misa just awkwardly stepped closer. "I think he had a lot of issues trusting people."

"He was still my friend. Even after…" She swallowed thickly, fighting back tears. "Why did it have to be them? If it was literally anyone else, I would be okay right now."

"No, you wouldn't," Misa told her.

"Yes, I would!" Miyu insisted.

"No. You're actually a good person," Misa said. "Yeah, they were your friends, but you'd get upset no matter who it was." She hesitated. "That's a really good thing." Miyu sniffed and roughly wiped away a tear that threatened to escape.

"It doesn't feel like one."

"Trust me. It's a lot better than the alternative." She bumped her shoulder against the other girl's. Miyu half-heartedly repeated the gesture. Eh, it was still something. Good enough. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I'm really not hungry," Miyu said.

"You still need to eat."

"I will as soon as my mind decides to stop looping Itami having… I mean, Itami's death."

Misa bit her tongue. That almost certainly wouldn't be for a very long time. Maybe she could talk to Hoshina about creating some kind of mass food delivery system. Even if it was just for today. It harder to say 'no' to food when it's placed directly in front of you.

Misa bumped Miyu's shoulder one more time in goodbye and continued on her way to the kitchen. The dining room was surprisingly empty; she would have thought that there would be at least one person drinking tea. She looked up at the clock and frowned. What a stupid thing that was changed for a stupid reason. Looking around, she grabbed one of the chairs and dragged it over to the wall before climbing on it. Ignoring the small wave of vertigo that she always got whenever her feet left solid ground, she felt around the edges of the clock for some way to change the time.

Nothing. She couldn't even find a way to take it off the wall. How the hell did Monokuma change it then? "Why can't you just _work?_ " Misa asked, her voice creeping up into yell-territory for the last word. She leaned forward to rest her head against the wall, but misjudged the distance and ended up slamming against it instead. "Ow." Great. Now she had two headaches.

"Are you okay?"

Misa turned her head to see Hoshina hovering near the kitchen door. She grunted. "Peachy."

"I see," Hoshina said just as a timer went off in the kitchen. "Oh, excuse me."

Misa sighed and followed her inside, leaving the chair against the wall. The psychologist had just finished setting a steaming bowl of soup onto the counter. Misa leaned over to peek at it. It was warm, rich and creamy. The perfect kind of soup to curl up with when the environmental controls stopped working for the fourth day in a row.

"Yeah, no one's gonna eat that," she said, even as she dug around for a spoon. Hoshina's smile faltered.

"They're not? But it's my favorite soup for when I'm not feeling well."

"Emotionally maybe. But physically? Their bodies won't be able to handle it. It's too rich. They'll just feel sick." Spoon now in hand, she scooped the bowl off the counter and took a big bite. Her stomach rolled a bit, but not nearly to the extent that she was expecting. Good. This was actually one of her favorite soups too. Hoshina's brows knitted together as she watched her. Misa shrugged with one arm. "What can I say? I like feeling just a bit sick."

"Oh, that's a lot to unpack there," she said.

"What? Moi?" she asked, her tone probably a bit more mocking than it should be. "I'm the perfect picture of mental health and sanity."

"It's okay if you need to process things too," Hoshina said gently. "No one would fault you for that." Nah, Misa already did her ten minutes of processing. That was more than enough time. Instead, she wandered over to the food dispensers and called up some toast with just a bit of jam. The machine hummed as it got to work.

"That should work for right now. People can be more adventurous later tonight for dinner. If they, you know, eat dinner or whatever."

"I will trust the expert's opinion then," Hoshina said. Misa suppressed a wince.

"Hm. Oh, speaking of expert's opinion… Shoma."

Hoshina's posture immediately turned defensive. "There's really not much that I can say. Even if I did have the time and space to full examine him, those results would still be protected by client confidentiality."

"Yeah, except for when those results might lead to him hurting one of us." Misa paused. Oh this was going to be a low blow. "Or himself."

Hoshina's smile was completely gone now. Misa kept waiting for it to reappear and smooth over the intense expression on her face, but it never did. Interesting.

"If it ever gets to that point, then I will reassess. At the moment, though, what he needs is trust and his boundaries respected."

"No offense, but if you actually trust him right now, you're probably an idiot."

That was enough to make the smile reappear. Very interesting. "That's not the first time I've been told that," Hoshina said. The timer dinged once the first batch of toast finished. Misa returned to her soup as Hoshina setup the second batch. "I'm afraid that I must ask you to keep the colors of Shoma's room to yourself," she said without looking at her. "That would only breed more distrust. And we've already seen what happens once that gets out of control."

"Yeah, because keeping it a secret from everyone will really endear them to us once they inevitably find out."

"Please, Misa?" she asked, her eye widening as she looked at her beseechingly. "Please."

Already, she could feel her resolve weakening. Shit. "Ugh, fine. At least until something else happens. I make no promises if the situation changes." Hoshina's smile grew, positively lighting up her face.

"Thank you. I really do appreciate it. This is the best choice for everyone, I promise."

"Whatever. You're the expert."

She stayed for a few minutes longer to finish most of her soup. Thankfully, the conversation moved to different topics. Apparently, a lot of people were still kinda just standing in the trial room, staring blankly ahead as they tried to process everything that happened. Hoshina didn't name names, but Misa could guess. This was probably the first personal brush with violence most of them had ever experienced, and it wasn't a gentle one either. She would be a bit more concerned if more people were simply okay with what had happened.

Finally, she said goodbye to Hoshina and disappeared back into her room. Her skin felt sticky and gross, almost tacky with sweat. She made it two steps into the shower room before stopping cold in her tracks.

Tsuyoshi's body was gone. Someone must have taken it away during the trial. But it was more than that. Granted, it wasn't a very involved or messy crime scene, but there was still no indication that a murder had even taken place. Every trace of Tsuyoshi, of Itami, of what had happened here, was gone. Physically at least. The air still felt heavy, like a hand was pressing down on her chest. Like there was still someone there, watching her, even though she couldn't see them.

"No. Nope! Not doing this."

She retreated back into her room and firmly closed the door behind her. Man, that was gonna suck moving forward. How could she just take a shower somewhere she need someone had died? No wonder realtors had trouble selling former crime scenes.

She back further away from the door and curled up into a ball in the center of her bed. Her eyes didn't leave the door, though. It was stupid and ridiculous, but it felt like the second that she did look away, someone would come through. The only way to avoid that would be to watch. And to wait. And to stare, unblinking and unmoving.

It wasn't all that long before there was a knock on Misa's door. She blinked rapidly to bring her gaze back into focus, and slowly rolled off the bed. Whoever was at the door knocked again. She rolled her eyes at their impatience and opened the door a crack. Zettai stood there, one side of his mouth lifted up in a smirk.

"Good, you're here," he said. "May I come in?"

"Sure," Misa said, stepping back a few paces to let him through. She closed the door behind him and sat in the middle of her bed. Zettai perched on the corner of her desk. He picked up Itami's teddy bear and looked almost concerned.

"Collecting trophies? How serial killer of you."

"It's not a trophy," she said. Apparently her voice was a bit harsher than he had expected, before Zettai immediately put the bear down. "It's a memorial. I was going to bring it back to his room, but the doors are barred." She shook her head. "Sumire and Miyu coming too, or is this a private meeting?"

"Oh, I'm sure that Sumire will call another meeting of the minds once she actually gets her act together, but the two of us have things that we need to discuss."

"Really? How exciting."

"Control your snark. This is neither the time nor place."

"You do realize that that just makes me want to be even more of a sarcastic bitch, right?" Zettai closed his eyes, looking like he was trying with all of his might to hold back a sigh. Misa grinned. "Oh, don't look like that, BB. You knew what you were getting into. I've never pretended to be anyone else."

"Unlike our resident gamer," Zettai said, opening his eyes again. Misa immediately sobered. She leaned forward and pulled her legs closer to her. If Hoshina wouldn't let her in and help, then maybe she and Zettai could figure things out. As much as she somewhat hated to admit it, the guy was brilliant. He would have some theories. He had to.

"Yeah, that was… let's just go with weird. He turned into someone completely different. It was creepy."

"You were the one who said that there was something special about him," he pointed out.

She shook her head. "Yeah, but I wasn't expecting _that_."

"Well, now we know that Shoma is far more observant than he appears to be," Zettai said, almost as if he was thinking out loud. "If he every bothered to apply himself, he might just be an intellectual challenge. A minor one, naturally, but a diverting one."

"Naturally," Misa echoed, raising her eyebrows in response to the flat look she got in response. "I'm a bit more worried about the personality change."

"Was it a change, or merely his true self finally peeking through?"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked. "Did you see the look in his eyes? Shoma was fucking terrified. If that is who he really is then…" she trailed off before shrugging and muttering. "I guess his room makes sense now." Two colors, two very distinct sides of him. Ryuu was right; it was kinda like Jekyll and Hyde. It had been a while she since she had read it, but she was fairly certain that that story ended badly for everyone involved. Well, technically they were already in a situation like that. At least that meant that it couldn't get worse, right?

Zettai frowned. "What's so special about his room?" Crap. Had she said that out loud? She had literally just promised Hoshina that she wouldn't say anything. Wait, maybe that was an easy out.

"Ask the shrink." Misa took a breath. "I mean, ask Hoshina. She'd be able to explain the psychology stuff way better than me. Honestly, a lot of it just kinda went _zip_ right over my head."

"Right. Because your partner is the smart one," Zettai said with a look that made it clear he wasn't buying a word she said.

"Yep. And I just stand there and look pretty," Misa told him with a grin.

"Yes, I remember," he said, reaching a hand into his jacket pocket. "And while I will follow up with Hoshina later, this actually segues nicely into what I actually wanted to talk about."

"Oh, yeah?"

"I'm the one who orchestrated Itami's murder."

He said it so casually that the words didn't quite sink in until after a few seconds. Misa very carefully kept her posture relaxed, even if every cell in her screamed at her to jump up and wring Zettai's stupid neck until he told her what exactly he was playing at. He watched her reaction carefully, a smirk playing at his lips. The hell was this? She took a moment to make sure that her voice was steady, almost flippant.

"I'm sorry. Run that by me one more time?"

"You heard me the first time, Misa, and I do hate to repeat myself."

"Oh, shut up. Wait, you said Itami. But he wasn't… Monokuma punished him. Unless you're implying that you're Monokuma here, which, for the record, would be a really, really stupid thing to do."

Zettai rolled his eyes. "No, I am not Monokuma. I simply used his rules to our advantage."

Misa inclined her head, prompting him to continue. Not that he really needed much prompting. The pride resonating throughout the room was impossible to ignore. How could he not want to educate her on his brilliance? She consciously reminded herself to keep her hands loose, to not curl them into fists.

"Someone was going to commit a murder; you said so yourself. It was inevitable. So why not control who did it, why not kill two birds with one stone? Metaphorically speaking, although two people did… end up dead."

"So what? You forced Itami to kill Tsuyoshi?"

"Oh, no. Itami was the one who chose to do the deed, accident or not. I simply helped him get into the right frame of mind. He was already scared due to Ryuu's attack on you, and his argument with Tsuyoshi made him paranoid and distrustful. All it took was one conversation to prime him to react violently to any surprises."

"He was on the important list, Zettai," Misa reminded him, fighting to keep her heart from racing. "He was supposed to be protected."

"Yes, well, he was on your list. I had different plans." Rage welled up in her chest, hot and potent. It must have shown on her face because Zettai sighed and shook his head. "Come on, it wasn't like he was actually going to cure anything. And even if he did, it would never see the light of day. There's only money in treatment."

And as much as she wanted to, she couldn't really argue with that. How many of her jobs had involved medicine or other pharmaceuticals? Those would all dry up. And a lot of people would be angry about that. "Yeah, but still. Did fucking nobody stick to the plan that we made? Seriously! Not to quote Ryuu, but fucking hell!"

"Calm down, Misa. Really, you should be thanking me. I only chose him so that we could bring your favorite admirer into the fold. Now, there's no reason for Miyu to support Sumire in anything. After all, her plan couldn't keep any of her friends safe. In fact, it was Sumire's plan that put you directly in the firing line. She's the one who sicced her bounty hunter on you once he oh so helpfully remembered some of your crimes. She figured that directing all of the fear onto one person would help us band together, give us a common enemy."

"So much for me being important," Misa muttered. "But yeah, I already knew that. Ryuu implied as much."

"Technically," Zettai said, drawing the word out until she looked at him, "the words and decision were hers. The idea was mine. Granted, I didn't expect you to totally –" he broke off when Misa bolted to her feet, finally unable to stay still for a moment longer. He watched her warily, as if expecting her to throw a punch. Honestly, she was considering it.

"No more beating around the bush. Tell me what you did. Simply, quickly and without insulting me, or I swear to God you will not like the condition that you leave this room in," she told him. Her voice was quiet, cold. A sharp contrast to the fire and heat roaring in her ears, turning the edges of her vision as red as the walls of her room.

Zettai's was equally as quiet when he spoke. "There's the hardened criminal. I wondered when she would come out."

"Now."

"Fine. Everyone here may be an Ultimate, but most of them are naïve idiots who think with their hearts instead of their heads. They don't like me, so they refuse to acknowledge that I'm who might actually be able to get them out of here. I needed a leader. Someone else for them to rally behind that could then listen to me and follow my instructions… _advice._ I chose you."

"Why me?" she asked.

"You were the natural choice. Half the people here have already cast you as a Robin Hood-like figure, and don't think I haven't noticed how you flit around from person to person. You're the only one here who can be welcomed into any of the social groups here. People want to follow you. I just needed to give them a reason to." He smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes. "And I can actually talk to you without feeling like I'm losing brain cells."

"I'm not a leader. I don't want to be one," Misa protested. "Trust me, I'm shit at it."

"Really? You led everyone through the trial just fine," Zettai said, bracing one hand against the desk so that he could lean back. She shook her head.

"That's different." It wasn't. She knew that it wasn't. But it still felt good to say it. Zettai turned his gaze upwards, as if asking for patience.

"Regardless, I just gave you the perfect redemption narrative, and you capped it off beautifully by completely destroying any credibility that Ryuu had." He paused. "Okay, maybe it was a bit too rushed to be considered perfect. But it suited our needs."

"Two birds with one stone," Misa repeated. "If making me into some stupid leader was one of them, what was the other?"

"To neutralize our greatest threat outside of Monokuma," he said. She looked at him for a moment before realization dawned on her face.

"You just completely neutralized Sumire," she said, grudging respect slowly creeping into her voice as her fire slowly started to dim. Ryuu was isolated and disliked by basically everyone, which kinda made him useless for basically anything that required trust. If Zettai was right, then Miyu would quickly turn against her too. Did she have any other allies? Or social connections to begin with? She wracked her brain, but couldn't come up with any.

"A chess grandmaster is nothing without her pieces," he said, like he could read her thoughts. "Of course, it helped that she was convinced of her own intellectual superiority."

"Well, if you go by that chess game…" Misa trailed off. Zettai's sudden grin made her stomach drop. "Please tell me you didn't deliberately throw the game."

Zettai shrugged. "Does it really matter if I did or not?" he asked. "The result was the same." He looked Misa up and down and must have been satisfied with what he saw because he finally took his hand out of his pocket and placed a black chess piece on her desk. "The rook is the second most valuable chess piece. I would have gone with the most valuable, the queen, but apparently that has _connotations_."

"Aww, does that mean I don't get to be the sassy underling you fall in love with?" Misa teased, on reflex more than anything.

"I don't mix business with pleasure," Zettai said. Because, you know, that totally wasn't something a cold and sadistic otome character would say. "Besides, if I wanted an underling, I would have simply continued to manipulate things from the shadows. The only reason why I'm telling you this is so that we can be partners moving forward. No more lies or hidden manipulations."

That was enough to startle a laugh out of Misa as she sat back down on the edge of her bed. She looked at him for a long moment before grinning. "I already got a partner. Don't need a new one. Especially not one that backstabs me and tries to force me to be a leader."

"We can do great things together, Misa," he told her. She didn't buy his earnest tone for a second. When she didn't respond, he frowned. "The only thing I want is to get out of this hellhole. I'm giving you the opportunity to not only help make that happen, but to do so in a way that saves as many lives as possible."

"Bull. Shit."

"Fine," Zettai said as he stood. "I'm leaving myself in a very vulnerable position right now, giving you a lot of trust, Misa. Sleep on my offer. I'll take your final decision tomorrow."

"It's not gonna change," she said.

He waited until he was at her door to say, "I think that it will." Zettai was gone before she could tell him to fuck off.

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE: SHIP OF THE DAMNED**

 **[END]**

 **14 ULTIMATES ALIVE**

* * *

 **TROPHY ACQUIRED: WORN TEDDY BEAR**

* * *

 **START CHAPTER TWO?**

 **[YES] NO**

* * *

 **And that's Chapter One! I'm going to be outlining Chapter Two this week, which means that I need to know what FTEs I'm writing. The poll is up on my profile. Check it out and let me know who you want Misa to bond with more!**

 **Until next time!**


	13. Chapter Two Part I

**Welcome to Chapter Two! I still can't believe that we're already here. (I may or may not have written Chapter One more times than I care to admit.) But, I know that a lot of you were screaming at Misa to not listen to Zettai, so I'll shut up and let you get to the chapter. (Does anyone even read this? Am I just talking to the void? Oh well.)**

 **liammarklh88: Not gonna lie, your opening line made me burst out laughing every time I read it. Am I** **eve? I think I'm evil. It's very interesting to read the different interpretations people having regarding Miyu and how she saw Itami. Obviously, I have my intention and how I view them, but there seems to be three very distinct camps. And yes, Itami does deserve to be avenged. I think a few people really want that to happen...**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Zettai's plan is a little convoluted, huh? He's definitely taking a lot of gambles in his quest to get Misa be a leader and on his side. I wonder why he would pick Miyu of all people to try sway Misa towards him... Also, thank you for laughing at the otome joke. I was very proud of it. (Honestly, those jokes write themselves.) I love how Zettai is making other people like Sumire more. See, she's not so bad, is she?**

 **Lupus Overkill: Hey, I welcome any and all reviews, no matter how frequent or not they may be. And yes, the fact that there are chapters and Chapters make it really annoying to discuss story structure. I feel you pain. A lot of people seem to feel that way about Zettai. He's a horrible person, but an interesting character. He certainly is taking a lot of gambles against a perfection-hating mastermind. We'll see if they pay off or not.**

 **MasterSaixus: Nope, Ryuu is safe! This time. *cue evil laughter* I actually came up with the execution myself, as the creator did not give me one. My mind is a very messed up place. It's scary. Don't visit. But hey, sometimes it comes up with fun and entertaining things. As for Monokuma's motive: his goal was to create fear and discord in the group by revealing that 4 people were plotting a murder. Now, whether that was a lie or not... who can say? I'll let you decide that for yourself.**

 **TheRoseShadow21: I feel bad for Miyu too. She lost her main trio, the poor girl. Hahahahaha yes, put Zettai in a box and send him back to Earth. I've been cackling over everyone's reaction to his bomb drop. Let's see what Misa decided to do. A lot of people don't want her to trust him. (Geez, I wonder why?)**

 **oddlyillregular: Ryo does lack in intelligence a bit, the poor boy. But it's okay. He's still a lovable goofball that definitely won't be mentally and emotionally destroyed. I mean, what? Did you hear something? I didn't say anything. But yes, a bunch of people thought that the killer would be a girl, specifically Sumire. You were not alone. I'm glad that she worked as a red herring, though!**

* * *

 _Her hands were red. Still. Even after scrubbing them._

 _How long had she been scrubbing them?_

 _Not long enough._

 _It'll never been long enough._

 _It'll –_

" _Hey."_

 _Warm hands, scarred and calloused, wrapped around hers, pulling them out of the bowl of now pink water. She looked up at him. Messy white hair and warm blue eyes. She never knew that blue eyes could be warm before. He was always warm. To her. Warm and safe. Things she couldn't have anymore. Shouldn't have. She didn't deserve them._

" _Hey!"_

 _More insistent now, hands tightening around her wrists. Grounding. Safe. Good. Not for her. Not right now. Maybe not ever._

" _It wasn't your fault. It was mine. I should have been there."_

" _You couldn't have known."_

 _Silence. Maybe he did know. That wouldn't surprise her. He always knew. He was the smart one. She just pretended to be smart. Smart and clever except for when she wasn't._

" _Come here."_

 _The room is small. It's always small, almost always small, but honestly it's a closet with a cot and a bucket of water that's now pink instead of clear but they didn't really have the ability to be picky. He pulls her onto the cot, into his arms. Warm and safe._

 _Alive._

 _His heart beating steadily in her ear. Strong and warm and safe. They were safe. Even if all she could smell was cloying copper. She could taste it in the back of her throat._

" _I'm going to keep you safe. Like I always do."_

 _She nodded._

" _I know. I'll protect you too. Like I always do." Even if that meant her hands turned bright red. Hell, she'd take that red and wear it as a badge of honor. Turn it into her color and claim it as her own. So that everyone would know what happens when you touched something that was hers._

" _Right." Except that it was wrong. His voice shifted, away from the deep timber that she knew into something different, something darker. The arms around her squeezed painfully, trapping her instead of protecting her. She looked up at warm blue eyes that melted into cold, prideful, disdainful red. "After all, we're partners now."_

Misa awoke with a gasp, caught in too tight sheets that had twisted their away around her arms and chest while she was sleeping. She wriggled out of them and sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. Her heart pounded, but at least she wasn't shaking. Stupid nightmare. Stupid, stupid nightmare. She had forgotten how much she hated that one.

Except it wasn't the nightmare that she knew so well. Not exactly. The ending had changed. Not that it was hard to guess why. Zettai's… _generous_ offer had been the only thing on her mind by the time she finally fell asleep. She had already refused. She should keep doing that. That made sense. The guy was an arrogant asshole who would stab her in the back and toss her away at the very moment that it was convenient to do so.

But if that was what he did to his allies, then what the hell would happen to his enemies?

Then again, his power came from manipulation. If she stood up at breakfast and told everyone what he had done…

It might get him killed.

Not really that big of an issue. Let him die.

Wow, okay, back up a second there. It was far too early in the game for that bullshit. Scale back the vindictive bitch for a second.

Honestly, even if she did tell everyone, would it even matter? He could still probably pull his stupid manipulations. It would be harder, sure, but people were already scared and stressed and likely to turn on each other at the slightest provocation. He could still do it. Hell, she had done it just yesterday against Ryuu.

Another person she really wouldn't mind dying.

Damn it. Not again!

Misa groaned aloud and flopped down onto her side. Her bed squeaked in protest. "Oh, shut up," she muttered. Her head felt fuzzy, like each thought was tangled up and buzzing with three others. A shower would help except… except nothing. She couldn't just not shower for the rest of her time here. That was disgusting and ridiculous.

She was in and out of the showers within eight minutes.

She finished getting ready for the morning and paced the length of her room until the morning announcement. The hell was she going to do about Zettai? He was expecting an answer today. Ugh, if only Tetsu was here. At least then she could talk through it with someone she trusted, someone she knew wouldn't spread it around to other people.

She could talk to Miyu. Wait, no, never mind. That would be an awful idea. Kat would make her laugh but probably wouldn't actually help her. Sumire? She was smart. No, that would only cause more problems than it solved. Shoma… yeah, he'd never give her the chance to actually talk to him.

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

"Ahem! Rise and shine! It is now 8 am! Get up and ready for another bear-tacular day!"

"You're not Kat. Don't make puns!"

Misa scrubbed her hands over her face and sighed. She might as well go get breakfast. If anything, it would be interesting to see who actually shows up. She slipped her Monopad into her pocket and headed out the door. But first, she had been neglecting her sweet, beautiful babies and, no, she wasn't overly attached to them. It was weird. She was beginning to get used to the lack of weight around her hips and she hated it.

But unfortunately, her guns were still locked inside of their glass case. Well, fortunately and unfortunately. It was good because that meant that no one stupid had gotten them, and it was bad for the obvious reasons.

"Well, you're fairly predictable."

"And my morning just got a lot worse," Misa said, turning her head slightly to see Zettai standing in the doorway. He placed a hand over his heart.

"You wound me."

"Good. That was the plan."

Zettai looked over his shoulder and took a few steps further into the room. "I take it that means you're still thinking over my offer," he said. He sighed. "I suppose that's fine. It's my fault for not specifying exactly when I wanted an answer."

"Technically, I did give you one last night," Misa told him. "It's generally not polite to keep hounding a woman after she tells you no."

Zettai looked at her flatly, clearly unamused. "Regardless, you should think about what story you want to spin at breakfast. We need to fully put any idea that you're a murderer to rest, preferably with a sob story about how you were framed and how your boyfriend was your one, true love." He waved his hand as Misa's balled into fists. "I'll let you handle the sappy details for that."

"I could tell them a very different story," she said, and the tension in the air shifted.

"Well, I suppose that certainly would be an answer," he said. "Dramatic too." He paused. "And possible the very best way to cement yourself as the leader of the group, a selfless woman willing to put their needs before her own. But it's ultimately your choice. I'll see you at breakfast."

"Zettai." He paused in the doorway as Misa turned her attention back to her guns. "You know that Monokuma said that he was going to deliberately tear down perfection, right? You might want to cool it a bit."

"He said that he was going to tear down _false_ perfection, Misa. I think I'll be just fine."

Of course. Why would she expect any other answer? But that was something to think about too. Surviving this would probably mean avoiding any undue attention from their psychotic, ursine overlord. Seriously, what the fuck was she going to do?

The atmosphere in the dining room was uncomfortable the moment that Misa walked in. And this was with only a handful of people inside. Zettai and Sumire sat in their customary seats, making small talk about something that Misa didn't particularly care about. Rudolph, Fujiko and Satsuki sat at their end, although they were silent. Misa put that down to exhaustion. Fujiko and Rudolph looked like they collectively got about twenty minutes of sleep between them.

She waved at the group, and after getting a few quiet "hellos" in response, headed into the kitchen to grab breakfast. She settled for some toast and a bowl of fruit and was waiting for it to appear when Shouko strode in.

"Underling."

"Hey."

The pair was quiet for a couple of minutes. "I am curious to our seating arrangements this morning," Shouko said. "A gap in the middle of the table is inefficient."

"A… oh." Itami and Tsuyoshi's seats would be empty, a very present and visual reminder of what had happened right in the middle of the table. Miyu would just have this hole to one side. "You're right," Misa said. "That does sound inefficient."

Shouko nodded firmly, visibly pleased. The machine chimed as Misa's food arrived. Shouko nodded at her once more as she took her food back to the dining room. After a moment's hesitation, she sat in Tsuyoshi's old seat, which would put her next to Kat and directly across from Miyu once they showed up. Sumire raised her eyebrows at Misa's decision, but said nothing. Zettai hid a smirk from behind his cup of tea.

Everyone else slowly filtered in. Hoshina and Kotoko shifted down one spot as well without any comment or fanfare. Now, the open gap was between them and Zettai and Sumire. Neither of the latter looked particularly interested in moving. Miyu was one of the last people to arrive. She actually looked surprisingly put together; there wasn't a single flaw in her makeup, even if her shirt looked wrinkled and rumpled. Misa watched her as she made her way into the kitchen without making eye contact with anyone. Kat made a soft, worried noise beside her.

Miyu reappeared a few minutes later with a plate of buttered toast and some water. If she noticed the new seating arrangement, she didn't say anything. Kat looked at Misa out of the corner of his eye, a pout forming on his features. The table was still mostly silent. It was oppressive, especially without Miyu's usual attempts to keep a conversation going, no matter how stilted it was.

"Hey, Miyu. Wait, do I have a nickname for you yet?" Kat asked, propping up his chin with a hand. Miyu looked up from her toast.

"What? Oh, um, not that you've told me?" she said. Kat narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm… I need to think up a good one then," he said thoughtfully. "What to pick? What to pick?"

"What about Leia?" Misa suggested. She glanced at Miyu, grin widening when the telltale flush crept up the other girl's next. Kat scowled before playfully shoving Misa's shoulder.

"Don't you co-opt my nicknames for your own nefarious purposes!" he told her between fits of laughter. "I'm gonna change your nickname to Luk…a. Crap, what's the female version of Luke?"

"Um, are you forgetting a certain scene in the fifth movie?" Misa asked.

"Yuck. I try very hard to," Kat said with an exaggerated expression of distaste. But there were smiles and grins blooming around the table. Even Miyu had a tiny smile, even if it did fade after a few seconds. The air felt lighter too, like Misa could actually breathe deeply again.

Ryo raised his hand. "I'm confused. Are you guys talking about something?" he asked. Rudolph gasped.

"Have you never seen _Star Wars_?" he asked, eyes wide. Ryo cocked his head to the side.

"Is that a movie?" he asked, bless his poor soul. "Because I've only seen three of those."

"Three!" Rudolph yelled. "Oh, now I really wish we had a movie theatre. There's some many to show you! I wouldn't even know where to start!"

"Oh! Oh! Okay!" Ryo agreed, nodding his head enthusiastically. "Maybe there's one upstairs that we can use!"

A beat.

"Upstairs?" Hoshina asked.

"Oh, did you guys not see the elevator? It's right in front of my room! Ryuu went to go check it out."

That's right. Ryuu hadn't shown up yet. She hadn't even noticed that he was missing. Damn, she needed to be more on top of things like that. Misa frowned and pulled out her Monopad, quickly navigating to the map. The normal circle appeared. Twelve, glowing dots congregated in the dining room while one dot sat by his lonesome in Room One. It was obvious who that was. But there was a new icon: an elevator that had appeared directly across from Ryo's room. So that's what the dead space had been: a secret elevator that they now had access to. Misa swiped up on the screen and the floor plan changed.

Apparently, the second floor was a perfect square about half the size of the first floor. A hallway split off into four rooms. Starting from the bottom left and rotating clockwise, they were marked with a star, a flower, a music note and an old-fashioned globe of Earth. At least, Misa thought that it was Earth. A lone dot stood in the room with the star.

"Upupupupup, I was wondering when you'd notice!"

Everyone looked around, searching for Monokuma. He had sounded super close. Satsuki frowned before leaning back in her chair to look under the table. She shrieked and flinched away, losing her balance in the process. Luckily, Fujiko caught her before she could fall to the ground. Monokuma poked his head out from under the table.

"Boo!" he yelled before leaping out and landing neatly on the ground.

"How long were you there?" Fujiko asked, still holding Satsuki protectively. Monokuma tapped a single claw against his mouth.

"I dunno," he said. "I wasn't really paying attention."

"Were you there all morning?" Sumire asked, mouth twisting in displeasure.

"Maybeeeeee. What can I say? I committed to the jump scare!" He struck a pose, as if waiting for applause.

"I'm sorry, but we have a new floor now?" Kotoko asked. Monokuma deflated a little.

"Fine, we can skip to the boring part," he sighed. "Yep! I want to make sure that your mind and body stays stimulated during your stay here, so after each trial, I'm going to give you more places you can go! Aren't I so nice and generous?"

"The nicest," Misa deadpanned.

"But wait, there's more!" he promised. "You never know what juicy information I'll just leave lying around! So make sure to do your very best, okay?" Another pause to wait for applause. None came. "Sheesh. Tough crowd."

"Is that all?" Zettai asked.

"Uh… I guess so?" Monokuma said.

"Excellent. Then leave."

Monokuma slouched forward. If he could physically pout, he probably would be. "Why are you so mean to me." He gasped. "Wait! Are you hiding your true feelings behind a layer of cold indifference?"

Zettai rolled his eyes and looked at Misa. "Why do you and the stupid bear have the same sense of humor?"

"Because we both know it annoys you," she said sweetly. Monokuma laughed quietly before winking and vanishing underneath the table again. By the time Misa leaned down to look, the bear was long gone.

"It looks like we have a new floor to explore," Hoshina said. "We should probably search it once we finish, right?" She looked to Misa. Oh, crap.

"I mean, I don't know why someone wouldn't?" she said with a half-hearted shrug. "If nothing else, it gives us something to do?"

"Okay. Let's finish up, and then we can go," the psychologist said with a gentle nod.

"Oh, Misa, didn't you mention that you had an announcement to make?" Zettai asked. Misa shot him a glare. He honestly didn't care. Sumire looked between the two of them, her grip tightening around her fork.

"You wanted to say something?" Miyu asked. Her toast was mostly untouched, but the water was gone. Misa's heart climbed into her throat. Fucking Zettai. This was _not_ the way to make her agree with him.

"Um, yeah."

She could do it. She could end this now and tell everyone what he did. She should. But when she tried, the words stuck in her throat.

"Misa?" Miyu prompted.

"It's about what Ryuu said. About me," she said. Was this what it felt like to make a deal with the devil? "I figured that I should give my side of what happened. Clear up any misunderstandings."

"Silence, underling. We all already see that scoundrel's lies for what they are," Shouko declared.

"I would like to hear it," Sumire said with an overly sweet smile. "If Misa is willing to share, of course, and it sounds like you are."

Misa swallowed around the lump in her throat and placed her hands in her lap. "Ryuu said that I killed my boyfriend. His name was Touma. He, um, we were in the same business. Except that he betrayed me and my partner. I don't know why. Probably money. Touma was a really shitty gambler. But…" Misa trailed off and shook her head. "I loved him. You know?" Crap, crap, it sounded like she was about to cry. "I loved him. But he _hurt_ my partner. And I was just so angry that I ran to where he was supposed to be meeting the cops that he sold us out to. I was furious. He told me that he loved me. How could he do this to me? I just wanted answers. Except…" She hesitated just long enough to make a decision. "Except that he was already dead when I got there. He was still bleeding. I had just missed it. The next thing I knew, there was a bounty on me for his murder. The man I loved." She looked down at her empty plate when she finished, her core feeling raw and exposed. And guilty. So, so guilty.

"Jesus," Kat breathed.

"How old were you?" Fujiko asked. She just sounded awed.

"This was two years ago. I'll let you try to figure the math." She chanced a look at Zettai and Sumire. The chess master looked cowed; she wouldn't quite meet Misa's eye. But Zettai looked smug and proud and Misa had never wanted to deck someone more than she did right in that moment. She stood up suddenly. "I'm going to totally run away now and start exploring. 'Kay? 'Kay. Great talk."

And it was running away. Misa knew that. She could admit that. Still didn't change the fact that that was what she was doing.

Misa jogged over to the now available elevator. It was fairly big, the doors stretching across the entirety of the dead space that she had encountered. And she had no idea how it got there. This section of the wall had been smooth. No grooves or marks or lines or anything that hinted that the wall was easily removable. She backed up a few feet and slowly ran her hand along the wall leading up to the elevator. And then she did it again. Was there a subtle downwards slope, or was she just making that up?

She jabbed the elevator button. A few seconds later, the doors slid open noiselessly. The inside of the elevator was clean and spacious, although Misa doubted that all six – _fourteen_ of them would fit at once. There were only two buttons inside, so Misa pushed the top one. Did that mean that there were only two floors? Or would more buttons be added later? The elevator ride itself was completely smooth, free from any of the bumps and jostles that the other elevator had. There was just a quiet hum of motors.

Again, the doors were silent as they opened up to the second floor. The hallway, at least, looks exactly like the one downstairs. The walls were made of the same, expensive, smooth material that continued uninterrupted for about thirty feet in front of her. There were two doors on her immediate right and left, and it looked like the other two doors were on the far end of the hall. Misa made a hard right, ignoring the room on the left for now. That was where Ryuu was, and she really didn't want to deal with that right now. Hopefully, he hadn't moved.

"Huh."

Well, she wasn't expecting this. The room looked like it had come straight from the study of a grand, isolated mansion that would become the site of at least three murders. The walls were covered with dark, luxurious wood, and the carpet was deep enough that Misa's feet sunk into it as she walked. A large, painstakingly detailed map of Earth covered the far wall. In front of it was a desk with a lamp and leather chair. A small, brown bookcase sat in the corner.

Misa slid into the chair and started looking through the desk drawers. Monokuma was probably lying when he mentioned information hiding somewhere on this floor, but it would still be good to look. But there was nothing. Not even dust. Misa frowned and rolled the chair over to the bookcase. There were only three shelves, but each was filled with books relating to a certain theme.

"Kotoko?" Misa read aloud. Why was her name here? She pulled one of the books out at random and looked at its cover. " _Origins in Inequality_ by Kotoko Moto." She flipped through a few pages. Wait, this wasn't an actual book. Someone had printed out an Archives entry and bound it so that it looked like one. Misa's eyes landed on another title, _A Rebuttal to Origins in Inequality_. And then another, _In Defense of Origins in Inequality_. Why were they all related to Kotoko? It was a little creepy. Misa replaced the book and went to the next shelf.

This one was dedicated to the Ultimate Analyst. Their abilities, personality and what would happen if a second one ever appeared. A couple of the books sounded a little alarmist, but then again, they _were_ talking about the rise of another Junko. Considering what she did last time, maybe it was right to be a little worried. No one needed a second Tragedy.

Which, coincidentally, was what the final shelf was about. An analysis of the Tragedy, what went wrong, how it could have been prevented, how it was stopped. There was a lot here. Misa frowned. And it made Kotoko's shelf feel very out of place. Sure, she had only skimmed a few pages, but it wasn't talking about the Tragedy at all. She made a mental note to ask Kotoko about it later.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Rudolph burst into the room and ran right up to the map. "Let's see. I think Dad came from right here." He lifted up onto his tiptoes in order to touch a place in the middle of Russia.

"Looks like the middle of nowhere," Misa said.

"I think it was," Rudolph said. "Also hi."

"Hey."

Kat and Ryo entered next. "Huh. Very spiffy," Kat said. Ryo shrugged, already looking bored.

"I guess. I want somewhere outside though."

"Um, you do realize we're hurtling through space, right?" Kat asked him.

"There are outside areas in the ship!" Ryo protested. "That's where most of my animal friends live!"

Kat looked at Misa. She shrugged; she had never been to one of those. "I guess everyone is done with breakfast?" she asked. Kat nodded.

"Yep. We all came up. Except Shoma because he's, ya know, Shoma."

"Right." She stood and rolled the chair back to its proper place. "I'm gonna check out the other rooms."

"Have fun!" Rudolph told her. Kat lightly bumped his shoulder against her as she passed. Misa bumped him back. She headed down the hall to the rooms at the far end. The door with a blue music note on it was already ajar, so she slipped inside of there first.

It was a music room. Big surprise. The walls were lined with various brass and string instruments. Misa knew absolutely nothing about the quality of them, but they looked fairly new. If nothing else, they absolutely shined underneath the lights. The real centerpiece of the room was a pure white grand piano. Sumire currently sat at it, her fingers resting lightly on the keys. Zettai hovered close by. Shouko stood completely separate from them in front of the string instruments.

"Music fuels genius like no other. Don't you agree, underling?" the mad Doktor asked as soon as she caught sight of the smuggler. "It is too bad that we do not have any Ultimate Musicians. Or one of my musical creations."

"These are expensive too," Sumire said as she pressed one of the keys of the piano. A clear, high note resonated throughout the room. "Whoever is holding us here obviously has access to a lot of resources."

"Well, duh. You can tell that just by looking at the walls," Misa said. Sumire frowned.

"But the walls just look like normal walls." She paused at the look Misa gave her. "That sounded incredibly privileged, didn't it?"

"Don't worry, it did," Zettai told her. Sumire straightened her posture.

"Please, as if you've ever been to the lower decks either," she said.

"Either way, this is still a lot of space," Misa said as she wandered over to the brass instruments. Ooh! A monocoin. She quickly pocketed it. "I mean, the Ship's big, but it's not infinite. You'd think a building or whatever with this much space would stand out. Especially if, you know, people were actively looking for us."

"Maybe there's your answer. Maybe they aren't," Sumire said lightly, even as a shadow briefly passed over her face.

"Nonsense!" Shouko declared, thrusting her finger to the ceiling. "My robot army would search every inch of this vessel for my location!"

"Oh yeah, you got a timeline on when they'll get here?" Misa asked. "Because we could have really used some badass robots about two days ago."

Shouko slowly lowered her hand. "No, I expected them within hours of arriving here," she said, worry only thickening her accent.

"I know that we said this before, but it's very possible they're destroyed," Zettai said. "Especially if they would actually be a threat." Shouko fiercely shook her head. "Then where are they, Doktor?"

"One of these days, you shall bow to my genius brilliance, minion!" she declared before sweeping out of the room.

"Not likely," Zettai said to her retreating back. Misa took that as her cue to leave as well. She didn't like the way Zettai's eyes lingered on her, watching and analyzing everything that she said and did.

The next room, directly across the hall from the music room, would make Ryo very, very happy. They now officially had a greenhouse. This must be where the fruit Misa had for breakfast had come from. The air was hot and sticky with moisture, but it kinda felt nice. Like walking into a steam room or something. Hoshina, Kotoko and Miyu stood in the center of the room examining a fenced off group of plants. Miyu smiled softly when she heard Misa enter. Misa smiled back.

"So this place is cool," she said. "Never seen a greenhouse before."

"This one has some fitting adjustments," Miyu said, waving her over. Misa frowned and joined them. The fenced off area that they were standing in front of was marked very clearly with a skull and crossbones. "We have toxic, poisonous plants."

"Hm. That one's okay. It just makes you see and hear shit. You're fine after a few hours," Misa said, pointing out a tall, purple plant in the back corner. She paused as the other three girls turned to look at her. "Not that I know from personal experience, or anything. Because I don't. I just, you know, hold it and transport it for other people. You know what? I'm going to stop talking now."

"That is probably a good idea," Hoshina said.

Luckily, there were other areas that were not toxic or hallucinogenic. At least half of the greenhouse was devoted to absolutely gorgeous flowers, even if their scent was cloying and overpowering. There were also a number of fruits and vegetables, although all of those were carefully walled off so that no one could actually pick them.

"This room is probably our main source of oxygen," Kotoko said. "We should be careful around it. Especially if Kat creates any of his devices." Miyu shook her head.

"I don't know if this room would be big enough to support all of us, though," she said. "You need about eight trees per person, assuming that nothing's been genetically modified. So we would need…" she trailed off as she did the mental math, "112 trees to support the fourteen of us. I highly doubt that what's in here is equal to that."

"Oh. Sorry, my mistake," Kotoko said quietly.

"No, it was a good idea," Hoshina reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We need to be careful anyway. There are still dangerous things here."

"Hey, I don't see any kind of gardening supplies," Misa said. "Don't you need, like, fertilizer and shovels and stuff?" They all looked around, but no one turned up anything. "It's not like Monokuma to avoid giving us potential weapons," she said.

"There must be a reason," Hoshina said. Yeah, that's what Misa was worried about.

"Oh yeah, before I forget, Kotoko." She perked up at the sound of her name. "Have you been to the map, history, whatever we're going to call it room?"

"No, not yet. Why?"

"There's a whole area dedicated to something that you wrote. _Origins in Inequality_ , I think? Someone's apparently a big fan."

"It's what earned me my Ultimate title," Kotoko said slowly, as if confused. "I was looking at naming trends, and I uncovered some, um, unfortunate practices with how certain members of the population were brought onto the Ship. Or were excluded. The sick, imprisoned, orphans, they weren't given the same opportunity to board the Ship as everyone else."

"Wait, seriously?" Miyu asked. Kotoko nodded. "Son of a bitch."

"But why would Monokuma have a whole shelf dedicated to it?" Hoshina asked. Kotoko shrugged helplessly.

"This was in the map room?" Miyu asked. Misa nodded. "I want to check this out myself."

"I'll go too. It's my research."

The pair hurried out of the room. Misa expected Hoshina to follow them, but she lingered nearby instead. She looked like she was searching for the right words to say.

"Misa, about what you said at breakfast. I'm sorry if you felt bullied or forced into revealing things that you weren't comfortable sharing yet. And I'm sorry for the way that some of may have treated you. We shouldn't have just accepted Ryuu's words at face value."

Misa looked away. "No big deal, Hoshina. I'm not the one should be apologizing to for that."

Hoshina's smile flickered. "Yes, I'm aware. But still. If there's anything that you need to talk about, I'm here. I want to help you if I can. And, yes, I would keep our conversations between us."

Misa bit the inside of her cheek. "Actually, I do have a problem that I need to talk over with someone else."

She nodded. "Why don't you come by my room once we're done exploring? We can talk there."

"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks."

"Of course."

Hoshina drifted out of the room, presumably to follow Miyu and Kotoko. Misa sighed and cracked her neck. Maybe bringing Hoshina in on this was a mistake, but Misa trusted her when she said that she would keep it to herself. That was what psychologists did, right? They kept other people's secrets for them. It would be good to talk through her Zettai issue. Probably. Maybe. Hopefully without putting Hoshina in the firing range.

Okay, one more room. She could do this, and then reward herself with a nap at some point. A nap would be nice. This last room was the only one on the hall that had a set of double doors opposed to a single one. And as soon as Misa stepped inside, she knew that this would be her absolutely favorite room.

One of the walls was a giant window. Stars danced slowly past, caught in a beautiful waltz of color and light as the Ship rocketed by. Misa slowly drew closer to the window, a moth to a flame. The stars were always beautiful. She and Tetsu would always find a window whenever they completed a successful job so that they could stare out and laugh and scream their joys and frustrations to the universe. Those were some of her best memories. Misa pressed one hand against the glass and giggled. Oh, they were gorgeous.

"They're wrong."

Those two words snapped Misa out of her daze. Satsuki stood a few feet to her right, brow furrowed in confusion and anxiety.

"What?"

"They're wrong," Satsuki repeated. "The stars shouldn't look like this."

"Then what should they look like?" Misa asked, her previous awe now entirely replaced by growing dread. Satsuki slowly shook her head.

"Fujiko is getting me paper and supplies from the art room so that I can plot that out." She paused and turned to Misa with a frightened expression. It was incredibly disconcerting to see. Hell, it was probably the most emotion Misa had ever seen on the astronomer's face before. "I think we've been here a long time."

"Of fucking course."

Misa looked over Satsuki's shoulder to glare at Ryuu. The bounty hunter was currently lounging in an armchair in the corner of the room. Now that she was paying attention to more than just the window, she noticed that there were a lot of chairs and couches, all of which faced the stars.

"We missed you at breakfast," Misa told him. Ryuu snorted.

"Nah, you didn't, kid."

"No, I didn't."

"See? Ain't the Ship a better place when we don't lie to each other?"

"Good advice. You should take it to heart."

"Whatever you say, kid. Can't fool me."

Okay, this was just going to lead to a fight, so Misa oh so tactfully and definitely not blatantly changed the subject. "I don't suppose you've found anything interesting or worth mentioning?" she asked.

Ryuu shrugged and closed his eyes, as if settling in for a nap. "Nope."

She didn't necessarily want to take his word for it, but a quick glance around showed nothing really all that interesting. It was an observatory. With a big ass window and a lot of seating. Besides, Hoshina hovered in the doorway. She must have finished up her exploration.

"Keep me posted on the stars," she quietly told Satsuki before leaving to join Hoshina in the hall.

"That room is pretty," she said during their elevator ride down.

"Oh yeah, I'm probably literally going to spend all my time there," Misa said. "Maybe I should have been an astronomer."

"I'm sure Satsuki wouldn't mind talking about it."

"I think she minds talking about everything and anything."

"Perhaps. But it's still good to try."

"Like you with Shoma?"

Hoshina looked away and was spared from answering by the elevator arriving on the first floor. Misa tried to suppress a grin but failed miserably. Hoshina's room was, well, it was aggressively pink. There was really no other way to phrase it. It definitely suited her though and she sat in her chair and directed Misa to sit on the bed and get comfortable.

"So how may I help you?" she asked, folding her hands in her lap. Misa shrugged, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Patient confidentiality or whatever, right?"

Hoshina nodded. Misa chewed her bottom lip. "Sorry. I'm not really good with the whole telling people stuff. It's not really my thing."

"I've noticed. But this is obviously bothering you enough to make you reach out."

"Someone made me an offer. Not the person behind Monokuma and everything. At least, I don't think they are. They want us to be partners. To work together to get out of here."

"That sounds like a very reasonable proposal."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Pretty sure the person offering would actually cut my throat if they thought they could get away with it. Actually, no, they would just manipulate someone else into doing it because God forbid they get their stupid hands dirty!"

"So, you don't trust him," Hoshina said. Misa met her gaze. "I would like to think that you'd give me a little bit of credit," she said mildly, although there was some obvious stiffness in her shoulders.

"Alright, yeah, it's Zettai," Misa admitted. "And no, I don't trust him. He's already done some shit that I'm uncomfortable with, and honestly that's saying something. You know? I can look past a lot. Necessity of the job."

"What did he do?" Hoshina asked.

Misa shook her head. "You don't want to know." Don't want to make her a target either. There were other people that should die before she did.

"Why don't you just refuse his offer then?" she asked. "That's what you want to do."

Was it?

"Because I have a sinking feeling that that's what'll screw me over. Zettai's… good at what he does. He takes a shit ton of gambles, don't get me wrong, but they're paying off."

"He wouldn't let him hurt you," Hoshina said, leaning forward to take Misa's hand in hers. "No one here wants to see you get hurt."

"No one?" Misa repeated as she pulled her hand away. There was a ghost of a grin on her face. "You sure about that one? Besides, what if another accident happens and I'm forced to kill someone in self-defense?"

"You would kill someone? Not the other way around?"

"Death is for other people. Not me."

"I see. In that case, why are you so scared of Zettai betraying you?"

"I…" Don't have an answer for that. Great.

"Refuse his offer," Hoshina advised. "Don't let fear stop you from doing what you think is right."

Right. Of course. Such a simple answer. That's what she wanted to do, right? Tell Zettai to fuck off. He was dangerous and selfish and it would only end in her getting hurt. Besides, he wanted to turn Misa into some kind of leader. She was a shit leader. She didn't want that. Death was for other people. Not her. He could never actually beat her, could never actually hurt her.

He could hurt other people, though.

And? Let him. There was no one else here that she really cared about.

That was a lie.

Shut up, no it wasn't.

Yes, it was.

Fuck.

Fuck.

She knew what she had to do.

"Don't let fear stop you from doing what you think is right," Misa echoed quietly, her stomach filled with lead. "Okay. I never did have the reputation for being a coward."

"If he threatens you, please don't hesitate to let someone know," Hoshina said. "We're in this together."

"Thanks, Hoshina. I really appreciate it."

"Of course! I just hope that I was helpful."

"You were."

Actually, this might be a good time to get to know her better. Yeah, they've talked a couple of times, but Misa really knew nothing about her. And she would feel pretty awkward just leaving right away.

* * *

 **Misa:** So what made you want to become a psychologist? You're obviously very good at it.

 **Hoshina:** I…

 **Misa:** Wait, is that too personal?

 **Hoshina:** No. I'm sorry, I'm not really used to talking about myself. I'm far better at listening to others.

 **Misa:** Another very important psychologist trait.

 **Hoshina:** Yes. I think that the only one who can understand, really understand a human being, is another human being. That understanding is crucial to our health and happiness.

 **Misa:** So you what? Wanted to give that understanding to others?

 **Hoshina:** To those who need it the most, yes. Too many people over look them.

 **Misa:** That's very altruistic of you.

 **Hoshina:** I suppose you don't believe in that?

 **Misa:** As a general rule, no.

 **Hoshina:** Does that have to do with your smuggling?

 **Misa:** I mean, I do basically spend all my time around criminals and other super shady people. If they were selfless, they'd be in another line of work.

 **Hoshina:** That sounds hard.

 **Misa:** Nah, I'm used to it. Besides, it's loads better than what my life would be like otherwise.

 **Hoshina:** What makes you say that?

 **Misa:** Oh, I would probably be dead. Or had a psychotic break and murdered my mom.

 **Hoshina:** Oh.

 **Misa:** Sorry, did that get too dark? Because it was supposed to be a joke.

 **Hoshina:** Of course. I should have realized that.

* * *

 **Hoshina's Profile Card: Entry One**

Hoshina wants to be a psychologist so that she can bring understanding to other people, specifically those who need it the most. She believes that only a person can understand another person, and that most people ignore the needs of those less fortunate than themselves.

* * *

Well, that effectively killed the conversation. Great going, Misa. She scrubbed a hand over her face.

"Do you think it'd be weird if I go up to the observatory and just scream at the stars for a few minutes?" she asked, mostly joking.

"Why would you do that?" Hoshina asked.

"I dunno. It's like screaming into the void. Gets all the emotions and whatever out."

Hoshina immediately brightened and leapt to her feet. "That is an excellent idea. We should all scream out our emotions together. Would you mind helping me gather everyone else? I want to try and see if I can't get Shoma to come."

Misa blinked in surprise. "Uh, yeah, sure. Are we going to do it now?" Hoshina nodded. "Alright. I guess I'll go do that."

It took her awhile to corral everyone, but eventually the entire group, minus Shoma, gathered in the observatory. Hoshina clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Hi, everyone. I know that everyone has been rather stressed and emotional recently. It's been a hard two days. But there's no reason to keep these feelings inside of us when we have a very handy and cathartic way to get them out, courtesy of Misa."

"This some touchy feely bullshit?" Ryuu asked.

"It's screaming," Misa told him. Ryuu thought about it for a moment before nodding, placated.

"Wait, really?" Kat asked. "We're just going to scream? Cool."

"Well, you all have fun with your childish exercise," Zettai said. "But I think I'm good."

Hoshina's smile grew a bit forced. "Of course, it's voluntary." Zettai was already out the door. "Um, let's all link arms."

Okay, now it was a bit cheesy. But still, Misa did what she was told. But total coincidence that was totally not planned, she ended up between Miyu and Kat. She grinned at both of them as Hoshina counted down from three.

And when she reached zero, catharsis and release. Misa screamed at the top of her lungs along with everyone else, giving the dancing stars all of her frustration, her worry, her fear, her anger, her confusion. She took a deep breath and screamed again. Miyu screamed right along with her, a jagged and broken note entering her voice the second time through. Misa pulled her closer, not caring if the rest of the line was knocked off balance as well.

There in the window, she saw the reflection of a white head of hair and blood red jacket, waiting them but still held apart by his own choice. Misa met his eyes in the reflection and just barely nodded her head. The reflection smirked, triumphant, and disappeared.

* * *

 **And that's all she wrote. I hope you guys like the new area that the Ultimates have to play in. Maybe you already have some thoughts on possible murder locations/weapons. But don't worry. That's still a couple of weeks away. As always let me know what you think, and I'll see you next week.**

 **Until next time!**


	14. Chapter Two Part II

**Writer's block sucks. That is all. Wait, no, I lied. Multiple people called Misa "best girl" last chapter, and I legit squealed and immediately went to brag to my friend. So, if you ever wondered, yes, I do indeed do the hardcore fangirl thing. I deeply appreciate any and all love or support that you guys are showing this little adventure of mine.**

 **Shirasaur: Yes, there are a lot of very interesting things on this new floor that _totally_ aren't a recipe for disaster. And yes, Misa's room is red. It's a fun, little detail, isn't it? I'm glad you liked the chapter! :)**

 **liammarklh88: Misa does deserve more love. Especially considering that this Killing Game is just getting started. (And what I put her through in this chapter. I mean, what? Did you hear** **something? I didn't say anything.) Let me know if Zettai and Ryuu ever stop being the resident dickheads, okay? XP**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Look, Misa is many things but sensible is usually not on the list. But don't worry. You're not the only one who had that reaction. It was a very common one. Hopefully it won't completely bite her in the ass~**

 **Abitat Eco: Ah, yes. The Zettai reactions. One of my favorite parts of these recent reviews haha. I'm super glad that you loved the screaming scene. Seriously, that whole section of your review is one of the best compliments that you could have given me. So, really, thank you.**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Oh no! I hope your finger is okay! I really love working in all the worldbuilding into these chapters, so it always warms my heart to see/read you talking about them. Hoshina is a good psychologist. A smart, sensible person would listen to her. Well, Misa always did say that she wasn't the smart one...**

* * *

The thing about nightmares was that they always came in sets. Having one meant that Misa probably wasn't going to get a decent night's sleep for the rest of the week. So, she really wasn't all that surprised when she jerked awake in the middle of the night, heart pounding from being chased by an army of gun-wielding Monokumas. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Yeah, this was going to get annoying quick.

She climbed out of bed and threw on a fresh shirt. There was no way that she was going back to sleep anytime soon; she might as well do something besides staring at the ceiling in the dark. She slipped out into the hall, no particularly caring where her feet took her.

It was a little odd. The Ship never really slept, so there were always people milling around at all hours of the day and night. But here, it must still have been late enough that everyone was asleep. It was incredibly peaceful, even if there was a quiet voice in the back of her head screaming that this was how girls got murdered in horror movies.

No. There wasn't a motive yet, and wounds were still fresh from the last trial. She should still be safe.

Besides, death couldn't touch her.

She swung by the lottery room just long enough to check on her guns before her feet carried her to the elevator. Apparently, it still worked at night. Good to know.

She really hoped that she wouldn't have to remember that for a future trial. How awful was it that she was already creating mental truth bullets? That she was already preparing for the next murder? That her logical mind had already adapted so quickly to this new situation, had accepted it for what it was?

Misa shook her head, as if that could physically chase those thoughts away as the elevator doors opened on the second floor. To her surprise, light from the observatory spilled out into the hallway. What kind of crazy person would be up at this hour?

Misa stuck her head through the doorway, lightly rapping on it with her knuckles. "Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Misa."

"Misa who?"

"Misa actually doesn't have a punch line. She's just saying hi."

Sumire laughed softly and titled her head to beckon her inside. "I suppose it is a bit too early to be witty."

"Then what are you doing up?" Misa asked as she joined her on the floor in front of the observation window. Sumire shrugged, turning her head so that she looked out again. Misa studied her profile. There were definitely bags under her eyes and stress lines where they weren't any before. She looked… almost fragile.

"I have been blessed with the gift of insomnia," she said. "I usually talk walks, but I figured I'd try something different. You?"

"Can't sleep. Got restless. Figured I'd take a walk too."

The pair was silent for a while. It was… more comfortable than Misa was expecting. Maybe it was just the delicacy of moment that they had found themselves in. It was late and quiet and the stars were enchanting, even if they were supposedly wrong. It was the time of night in which secrets were shared under the implicit, unbreakable oath that the words would never leave the little bubble that they had found themselves in. Maybe that's why Sumire finally started talking.

* * *

 **Sumire:** I come from an incredibly wealthy family.

 **Misa:** I… okay, I guess that's a way to start a conversation.

 **Sumire:** That was fairly blunt, wasn't it?

 **Misa:** Just a bit. And by the way, yeah, I figured as much. You kinda give off that arrogant rich girl vibe.

 **Sumire:** Yes, I know.

 **Misa:** Why? What makes you bring it up?

 **Sumire:** I was just thinking about the two of us. I was a child prodigy. I had every tutor, the best schooling. I was given every advantage.

 **Sumire:** But I wasn't the one to solve the trial. That was you.

 **Misa:** Right. The criminal who you assume had none of that.

 **Sumire:** Am I wrong?

 **Misa:** Yeah, actually.

 **Sumire:** Don't tell me. Is the Ultimate Smuggler actually a secret heiress?

 **Misa:** I wouldn't go _that_ far. We weren't actually rich or anything.

 **Misa:** Mom acted like it, though. Everything – I had to be perfect. At everything. I couldn't make a single decision for myself.

 **Sumire:** That does sound familiar.

 **Misa:** Yeah, except you probably embraced it.

 **Sumire:** While you… what? Ran away from home? Embraced the very opposite of your upbringing?

 **Misa:** I helped someone. And then he gave me my freedom. My life.

 **Sumire:** He sounds like a hero.

 **Misa:** Ha. No, he's definitely not that. Definitely not.

 **Sumire:** Well, maybe I can meet him one day and judge that for myself.

* * *

 **Sumire's Profile Card: Entry One**

Sumire comes from an incredibly wealthy family, and was a child prodigy. She was given every possible advantage by her family, especially in the academic realm. However, she seems a little bitter about how controlling they were.

* * *

"Why him?" Sumire asked suddenly. Misa glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

"You're gonna have to be more specific there."

"Why did you choose Zettai? Don't think I haven't noticed how you two look at each other, how you work together without really saying much of anything. He's exactly the kind of person I thought you would hate. So why him? And please don't say it's because he's handsome. That's an awful reason to pick an ally."

For a moment, Misa toyed with the idea of lying. But that almost felt disrespectful in the moment. "I didn't. Zettai picked me. He didn't really give me a choice. Why did you pick Ryuu? I assume it wasn't because you think he's attractive?"

"He's a good knight."

"Is? Not past tense?"

Sumire went quiet, thinking it over. "We'll see how angry people actually are. Emotions might fade quickly here." She paused. "Or they might fester."

"With our luck, it'll be the second one," Misa said.

She laughed. "Yes, with my bad and your good, that's almost certain to happen."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know."

"This isn't going to carry over to the morning, is it?" Misa asked.

"No, it won't," Sumire said.

"I wouldn't necessarily mind if it did."

"It won't," Sumire repeated, and honestly, there was simply something inherently sad about that.

They lapsed back into silence. Soon, Sumire excused herself to go back to bed, lest she break one of Monokuma's rules by falling asleep there. Misa stayed up a little longer. But even when she finally crawled back into bed to catch a couple more hours of sleep, Sumire's face stuck with her.

All things considered, Misa liked getting breakfast with the entire group. Well, most of the group. Shoma never actually showed up, ever, and Ryuu had only stayed long enough to get an apple, call some people "kid," and get glared at on his way out. And they were missing Itami and Tsuyoshi, but they were dead. So, they weren't part of the group anymore. Because you need to be alive for that to happen. Even if the two empty chairs were a very visual reminder of what they had lost.

But she was getting off topic. The point was, she liked getting breakfast with everyone. It was a good touchstone, and while maybe a little awkward, was generally fairly peaceful. You know, when she wasn't being accused of murder. Or when Satsuki wasn't running in fifteen minutes later, her hair is disarray, and a stack of papers clutched in her hands.

Fujiko half-rose out of her seat. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked. Satsuki shook her head and stood at the head of the table. She carefully set her papers down, her breathing erratic and shaky.

"How long have we been here?" she asked. "About a week, right?"

"This is the fifth day since we woke up," Zettai said. He stared at the astronomer intently. "That wasn't what you wanted to hear, was it?"

"One year," Satsuki said.

"Oh, please tell me you aren't saying what I think you're saying," Sumire said.

Kat's eyes widened as it finally clicked for him. He awkwardly laughed. "Heh, good joke there, Satsuki. Very funny."

"We can't have been here for a year," Ryo said. "Even if Monokuma was lying and the days were _really_ long."

"We would have been found by now, ja?" Shouko said with a dismissive shake of her head. "The Ship cannot survive without the genius of the Iron Maiden for that long."

"Right," Kotoko agreed. "I'm sorry, Satsuki, I don't want to completely dismiss your idea, but we, um, everyone else has people out there looking for them. They would have found us."

"Yeah, you think Zettai's family is going to let their precious heir just vanish?" Miyu asked. Zettai smirked. "They, at least, would have looked literally everywhere. Never mind the police and our families."

Satsuki stood there helplessly as everyone slowly voiced their disagreement. It was natural, really. Misa wanted to do the same thing. There was no way that she was missing an entire year of her life. They would have been found by then. This was a big area. The Ship was a very limited space. Tetsu would have found her. He knew people and he knew the Ship and _she_ knew that he wouldn't just give up on her. They were partners. They always made their way back to each other. Always. No matter what.

But Kat was wrong. Satsuki wasn't the kind of person to joke around.

"What makes you say that?" Misa asked.

Fujiko nodded vigorously. "Yeah, lay off her for a second! Let her talk!"

Satsuki bent down to carefully arrange the papers that she had brought. Misa moved to stand next to her, prompting everyone else at the far end of the table to do the same. Honestly, Satsuki only looked more flustered and harried when she realized that she was surrounded, but she pushed it aside with a small, comforting smile from Fujiko.

"I remember the location of the stars the night before we were taken," Satsuki said, pointing at one of the sheets of paper. "And since we're constantly moving, the location of the stars also changes. But in a very predictable way. Yes?"

She continued without waiting for any confirmation. Misa got the distinct impression that she wanted to stop talking as soon as physically possible.

"Part of my talent is to track the stars and know where they are. And as I said, the stars outside of that window are wrong. Unless one year has passed without us knowing. In that case, then they are exactly where they need to be."

"Could the window itself be wrong?" Sumire asked. "Maybe it's a screen designed to freak us all out. We could be panicking over nothing."

"Who's panicking?" Kat asked. "I'm cool as a cucumber. That's on fire."

"That would be hot, though," Ryo said. Kat sighed.

"Yes, very good, Ryo. You got the joke."

"I don't think it's a screen," Rudolph said, adjusting the straps on his backpack. "It would have to be a really, really, really good screen. You can't see any pixels! Even if you look really close to it!"

"So we've lost a year," Hoshina said quietly.

"Roughly. We're also moving faster than we should be."

"How much faster?" Zettai asked. "Although even if we were moving eight times faster than normal, and I highly doubt it, that's still a month."

"Far too much time," Sumire said.

"I hate it when they make sense," Miyu muttered. Misa caught her eye and grinned. It was fake and forced as hell, she was still a bit too panicked to actually muster up a real smile, but it seemed to do its job.

"Nein," Shouko said, standing up suddenly. "Das ist Wurst."

"Shouko," Misa sighed.

"Nein!" she yelled, slamming her hand down on the table. Basically everyone flinched, Misa included. The robotics engineer glared at everyone, hands balling into tight fists. "Das… That is impossible. You are liars or stupid to believe this!"

"Hey! Satsuki wouldn't lie about this!" Fujiko yelled right back. The girl in question shrunk back a little.

"Then she is stupid and wrong!"

"You wanna say that again?" Fujiko asked.

"Guys, we shouldn't argue about this…" Kotoko said, although her voice was too quiet to be heard.

"We don't need to fight each other," Hoshina added. "We have more important enemies."

Satsuki had silently made her way to Fujiko's side. Her presence seemed to be enough to calm the navigator. Shouko scoffed before turning on her heel and stalking out the door.

"Well," Misa said after a moment of awkward silence. "I think that went well."

"She's just worried," Hoshina said. "This is a… very worrisome thing to consider."

"Yeah, well, we've had 'worrisome things to consider' since we woke up," Misa snapped. She internally winced. Yeah, that was harsher than she intended. Especially since Hoshina immediately looked away, her smile faltering for a moment.

"I feel like this should be a horror movie," Rudolph said quietly. "Like, a really low budget bad one."

"Hey! We deserve better than B horror!" Kat told him.

"I'm going back to the observatory," Satsuki said quietly as she gathered up her papers again.

"Wait. You should eat something," Fujiko told her. Satsuki completely ignored her as she left. Fujiko threw her head back and groaned. "Fine. I guess I'll just bring you food then."

Breakfast ended not long afterwards. At some point, the conversation devolved into all of the movies and video games and TV shows that people had missed if they really had been missing for a year, which then devolved further into Rudolph, Kat and, surprisingly, Kotoko getting into a rather heated debate over which character was the best from a show that they all watched. (Naturally, they all had very different opinions.) Sumire complained about a chess tournament that she had been training for, Hoshina worried for some of her patients, Miyu worried about her family, particularly her sisters.

Misa worried about Tetsu, but kept that to herself. What else was new?

The group slowly spilt off into small groups. Zettai immediately caught Misa's eye and gestured towards Sumire, who was waiting for them at the door. Oh, fun. Apparently, they were still doing the whole brain trust thing. Because they had a reason for another meeting now? Maybe. She looked around for Miyu, but she had already disappeared. Zettai shook his head when she looked back at him. Right. Whatever happened to trying to get Miyu on their side?

"I believe Kat dragged her away to go look for Shouko," he said, walking up to her once the crowd thinned out.

"Yeah, well, she's part of this group. We should tell her if we're meeting or whatever."

"You can fill her in later." Zettai lowered his voice. "Really, it's for the best. Some of the things we discuss probably won't be good for her mental health right now. Wouldn't you agree? She already seems rather fragile."

"Ya know, not sure if you realize this, but it's very, very creepy when you say things like that."

"Glad you think so highly of me. Now come along."

Misa bristled at his tone, but the firm, guiding hand at her back stopped her from completely ditching. Oh, she really should have set some kind of ground rules before she agreed to this. What the hell had she been thinking? See, this is why she never tried to do the selfless thing. It never worked well.

She dutifully followed him to Sumire's room. The chess grandmaster accepted Miyu's absence with a nod and a few words from Zettai. Misa immediately collapsed down onto the bed as Sumire and Zettai took up their posts on the desk chair and the corner of the desk respectively.

"So what's this about?" Misa asked, already wanting to get out of there. Sumire was fine on her own; their conversation last night was proof enough of that. But like she said, that hadn't carried over to today. Everything was back in their natural order.

"After a big event or goal, it's important to analyze what went well, what went wrong, and what we need to do in the future. So, after each trial, we should be a postmortem." Sumire paused and let her eyes fall shut. "I swear, that's what it's called."

"Of course it is," Misa muttered.

"A valid strategy," Zettai said with a slow nod. "Now that we have more information, we can further refine our plan."

"Like figuring out who we should try to keep alive? Because that worked so well last time," Misa said, only half-sarcastic. Zettai kept a rather pleasant expression on his face as Sumire sighed.

"It could have been worse, but Itami's accident does demonstrate the limitations of our goals," she said.

"Right. At least Tsuyoshi did what he was supposed to. That goes under the what went well category, right?"

"You're snippy today," Sumire commented mildly, although there was a hint of frost to her words.

"To be fair, I believe Misa simply has a lot on her mind," Zettai said smoothly before Misa could do so much as open her mouth. "According to our resident astronomer, we've lost an entire year of our life."

"Yes, I know. I was there at breakfast too," Sumire said. "And I'm sure that she appreciates you explaining exactly how she's thinking, just as I'm sure that you're assessment was completely accurate."

Misa tuned them out as they started to bicker. Zettai seemed to genuinely enjoy getting a rise out of Sumire, which honestly wasn't that much of a surprise. It was probably his version of gloating or whatever. Showing superiority like the dick that he was. Seriously, was that the only reason why they were here? So that Zettai could bask in his victory over her in the last trial? He could have done that without her. She could be somewhere else, maybe hanging out with Ryo in the greenhouse making sure that he didn't accidentally eat any hallucinogens. That would be far more preferable to this.

"Alright, I get it!" she said loudly when they hadn't shut up after a solid ten minutes. "Both of you think that you're smarter than the other. It doesn't fucking matter! Can we do the postmortem or whatever? Or at least talk about something important? Please? Because seriously, it's not like we've found a way out or anything. We don't have a new motive yet, so we can't predict how people are going to act or who might fall for it. And yeah, we can talk circles around the fact that we're missing time, but I'm fairly certain that we all knew that already. And even if we didn't, there's nothing that we can fucking do about it besides freaking out and worrying about the people we care about! And newsflash, we were already doing that! So, honestly, I don't know what the fuck this meeting was for besides maybe trying to feel superior because you're both just oh so smart and rich and oh so in control, except you're not. No one here is. The only one here that is actually in control is Monokuma. And that's it. Not me, not you, and certainly not you." She directed that last bit at Zettai. "So enough!" She took a deep breath. "See, this is why I like Miyu here. Because then at least I have someone that I can roll my eyes at when you two start getting ridiculous and stupid. Like right now."

"That was… a rant," Zettai stated.

"It was, wasn't it?" Misa asked. She honestly had not meant to explode like that. Oh, well. It happened.

"Just a little bit," he said.

"I… suppose we could break for today," Sumire said, a little stiffly. Honestly, her whole posture was stiff and rigid. "I just wanted to touch base and see if anyone had any suggestions moving forward. But I guess that answers that question."

Misa actually took the time to wait for a few seconds and think over her words before she said them. "Miyu isn't here right now, but if she was, I'm sure that she would say something about how two people died. One of them super brutally. What did you expect the suggestions to be moving forward?"

"You're the one who keeps waiting for a murder to happen," Zettai pointed out. "Since day one, right?"

"Yeah, well, I'm a hypocritical bitch. Also wasn't quite expecting to see someone get their organs torn out of them while they were alive. Seriously, the victims are the lucky ones. I'd hate to be a killer here."

"As opposed to anywhere else?" Sumire asked. She was still stiff and closed off, but there was a hint of a smile when she spoke.

"At least the Ship doesn't have capital punishment."

Ugh, why was Zettai still looking at her like she had done exactly what he wanted her to do? He hadn't even given her any instructions or let her in on any kind of plan yet. Okay, fine, she was committing to it now: she wouldn't mind if he died. Or even if he was a killer, even. Okay, no, nope, she wasn't ready to go that far yet. Baby steps.

Thankfully, she managed to actually leave not long after that. She hunched her shoulders up around her ears before quickly dropping them, trying to get the growing tension in them to release. She did that a couple of times as she walked down the hall. The only person she saw was Ryuu, who was coming out of the art room. He took one look of her and promptly turned around and disappeared back inside.

"Nice seeing you too, kid!" she called out as she passed.

"Go fuck yourself!"

"Classy as always!"

Misa headed into the dining room, and was just finishing up a snack when Fujiko trudged in, alone and looking thoroughly demoralized. She went straight to the food machine and called up three orders of hush puppies. She glanced at Misa before looking away, the color rising in her cheeks.

"I'm just really craving fried foods," she explained.

"Hey, no judgment."

"Some of it is for Satsuki. She didn't want the waffles I made her, but maybe she'll want these!"

"She might just not be hungry."

"Okay, yeah, but you need to eat at some point. Even Shoma has Hoshina bringing him food most days. I'm just a little worried, you know? She's usually not this freaked out. Or emotional. Ever. Not even when we found, you know…"

Misa held up a hand to stop her. "Why do I feel like this is going to end with you asking me to check up on her?"

Fujiko smiled sweetly. "Maybe she just needs to talk with someone new. And I think Hoshina currently has her hands full with Shouko." Fujiko leaned in closer. "You should be _really_ glad you're missing that drama."

"Should we be expecting a prank from Kat in the near future?" she asked.

"Would not surprise me. I think he was muttering and laughing to himself the last I saw him."

"Great. That'll keep the peace, Kit Kat."

The machine dinged as the hushpuppies arrived. Fujiko held out two plates towards Misa. "Here. She's in the greenhouse. One can be a bribe!"

"I do like my fried foods," Misa said. She sighed and grudgingly took the plates. "Joke's on you. I'm just gonna take both plates to my room and eat them all."

"Misa!" Fujiko laughed as she tried to grab the plates back. Misa danced out of her way and back out into the dining hall, almost spilling a few hushpuppies off of her plate. She actually did make it to her door before the guilt got the better of her and she headed back up to the elevator. She could just drop off the plate and then go back down. No big deal. Quick and simple.

Satsuki was alone in the greenhouse when Misa got there, although she waved as she passed Kotoko and Rudolph hanging out in the map/study/navigation room. Seriously, did they have a set name for that yet? No? Did it matter? Probably not. Hopefully not.

"Hey. I come bearing gifts!" she said, holding out the plates in front of her. Satsuki didn't so much as flinch. Just completely ignored her in favor of whatever she was fiddling with in her hands. Misa paused for a moment. Okay, that wasn't quite was she was expecting. "'Ello?"

She moved to the side, stepping into the astronomer's peripheral vision. Satsuki jumped, startled, and quickly placed whatever she was fiddling with back around her ear. "Sorry, I had my hearing aids off. Hello."

Misa shrugged. "All good. Fujiko sent me with food."

Satsuki shook her head and sighed. "Thanks." She dutifully took the plate and immediately set it off to the side. Yeah, that wasn't going to be touched. What a waste of beautiful, delicious food.

"No problem."

Satsuki looked away, turning her attention to the collection of roses in front of her. Any other person probably would have gotten the hint that the conversation was over. And while Misa had originally intended to just drop off the food and leave, something made her stick around. Maybe it was the tightness, the frightened, nervous energy that radiated off Satsuki in waves, even if her face tried its best to remain disinterested. There was an aura about her not dissimilar to the one that Sumire oh so briefly had.

"Fujiko's a handful, huh?"

"… She is very excitable and emotive, yes."

"She seems like she would be a good friend. When, you know, she's not completely overbearing."

"Like when she sends random people up with food I don't want?"

"Exactly." Misa took the opening to sit on the bench a few feet away. She popped a cooling hushpuppy into her mouth. Hmm. Should have brought butter for it. Next time. "It was a good catch with the stars."

"I'd be a poor astronomer if I didn't," Satsuki said quietly, hunching in on herself.

"I actually think it's super interesting," Misa said. "I love the stars and everything with it."

"Likewise."

"Well, yeah, I would hope so." Misa paused, carefully not looking at the other girl. "Mind if I ask you some questions about it?"

Satsuki hesitated. "No, I suppose not."

* * *

 **Misa:** So, how did you get into astronomy in the first place?

 **Satsuki:** My father is an astrophysicist. I spent basically all of my time in his lab.

 **Misa:** Must have been cool.

 **Satsuki:** It was very educational. I was very lucky that he and his coworkers were willing to teach me.

 **Misa:** So then why astronomy instead of… astrophysics…y… things.

 **Satsuki:** It's just astrophysics.

 **Misa:** Right. That.

 **Satsuki:** Because that takes years of very dedicated schooling. Formal schooling. I don't have that.

 **Misa:** Wait, you never went to school?

 **Satsuki:** I was homeschooled.

 **Misa:** Oh. Honestly, that sounds like a nightmare.

 **Satsuki:** No, it was nice. It left me with a very open schedule.

 **Misa:** Yeah, but it's school. At home. With parents.

 **Satsuki:** …You didn't like school.

 **Misa:** Was that a question?

 **Satsuki:** Yes?

 **Misa:** Right. Sorry. No, I hated school. Big surprise, right? I was so glad when I stopped going.

 **Satsuki:** You just… stopped going to school.

 **Misa:** Yeah, when I became a smuggler.

 **Satsuki:** Oh. I can't really imagine doing that. It would have been nice to go to a real school.

* * *

 **Satsuki's Profile Card: Entry One**

Satsuki was homeschooled her entire life. While she does regret not having the chance to go to a "real school," her schooling gave her a lot of free time, which she used to spend time in her father's astrophysics lab.

* * *

She had barely finished speaking when an explosion went off, strong enough to rattle the floor and walls. Satsuki let out a small, frightened squeak, clutching desperate to the bench that she was sitting on. Misa was on her feet before the shaking had even stopped. No smoke or anything on this floor, which meant that whatever happened, it had to have been downstairs. She bolted to the elevator as Rudolph and Kotoko came out of the map room.

"You felt that too?" Kotoko asked. Misa nodded, slamming her palm against the elevator button.

"Do we think that's a rescue party?" Rudolph asked hopefully, bouncing with nervous energy.

"Doubt it," Misa said. His face immediately fell. Satsuki silently joined them as the elevator doors opened. "Oh, I really hope that this was just Kat being really, really stupid."

"Kat's an expert, though!" Rudolph said. "So if it's him, then no one will be hurt."

"Yeah, unless someone screwed his with devices or whatever or decided to use explosives to commit a murder and pin it on him," she said.

"What?" Kotoko paled significantly. "Already? But…"

The elevator doors slid open, and the group was immediately assault by the smell of smoke, melted plastic, and burnt canvas. Misa broke out into a run, not caring if the others were right behind her or not. She followed the smoke to the trial room elevators, where there was already a sizable crowd gathered. She impatiently pushed past Ryo and Ryuu to see Kat and Shouko sitting up against the wall, being examined by a frowning Hoshina. There was a surprisingly large crater in the middle of the floor. In the center of it were the still smoldering remains of Kat's backpack. The two Ultimates looked a little worse for wear, but a quick glance at Hoshina confirmed that there was nothing seriously wrong with them. Shouko had a few cuts and scrapes on her arms and face while Kat had a fairly minor burn, albeit large, burn on his right shoulder.

"Da fuck happened?" Ryuu demanded. He arrived seconds after Misa did.

"He – " Shouko was cut off by a wracking cough. "Tried to kill me. Me! The Iron Maiden!"

"No, I wasn't!" Kat protested, twisting his torso to face her. But his face immediately screwed up in pain. "Ow, ow, moving is a bad idea."

"Ha. Lies. You insolent – "

"I wouldn't hurt you!" Kat interrupted. "I don't want to hurt anyone! I'm serious. This isn't me joking."

"You fucking blew up the floor, kid!" Ryuu told him, gesturing sharply towards the crater.

"Oh, the day that Ryuu has a point," Zettai muttered, having made his way to Misa's side at some point.

"Shut up," Misa muttered right back. She stepped out of the group and closer to Shouko and Kat. "Come on, Kit Kat. Tell us what happened." She preemptively held up a hand to stop Shouko. "And then we'll hear your side."

"It was just gonna be a prank, Solo. To get back at Shouko for being a bitch to Miyu and Hoshina and Kotoko. It was just going to be a small firecracker. All light, no heat. I don't know what happened. I was about to slip it into Shouko's pocket when I smelled something burning and fizzling in my bag. I tore it off, and then it went boom! Just like that!"

"Clever lies, worm. You placed it right at the Iron Maiden's feet!"

"Hey, I told you to get out of the way!"

"It sounds like an accident," Hoshina said. "We should get both of you cleaned up and try to bandage your injuries the best that we can."

"Really? Because it sounds like property damage to me." Misa's heart froze as the elevator doors to the trial room slid open to reveal Monokuma. He was deadly still, even as his face burned red with anger. "I am a very generous bear. I warned you to be careful with your… _toys_ ," he spat out that last word like it tasted rotten. "And this is how I'm thanked? With a hole in my beautiful floor?"

Kotoko quietly gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "The rules."

"Hmpf. I'm glad that someone remembers them," Monokuma said. "Rule Six. Vandalism is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate punishment."

Kat's face went white. Shouko subtly inched away from him. Miyu raced forward, deliberately placing herself between Kat and the bear. "Wait! Vandalism is intentional, right? You have to mean to do it. This was an accident!"

"It doesn't look like an accident to moi," Monokuma said, taking a slow, measured step forward. "And that's really what matters here, isn't it?" He took another step forward. Okay, that's it. Misa stepped forward, carefully dodging Zettai's hand when it tried to close around her wrist in an attempt to keep her back in the safety of the crowd. She stood shoulder to shoulder with Miyu, glaring at Monokuma. The bear tilted his head as he considered them. "What's this? A rebellion so soon?"

"What's the point of rules if you don't follow them?" Misa asked, incredibly proud when her voice came out steady.

"Hm?"

"If you don't follow the rules, then how is a blackened supposed to trust that you'll actually let them go when this is over?"

"Because they don't have a choice. Now move. Dear Kit Kat needs to face his punishment."

"No," Miyu said without a trace of hesitation or fear in her voice.

Misa looked at her and grinned. "What she said."

"Now, now, don't make me punish you too," Monokuma said before his voice dropped into a growl. "It's not your time yet."

"It's okay, guys," Kat said quietly.

"No, it's not. Not if it was an accident," Misa said. Her eyes darted around the circle, desperately hoping for someone else to step forward, to stand with them. But no one would meet her eyes, not even Ryuu or Zettai or Sumire, who, honestly, Misa expected to look at her if only out of spite.

"Not gonna let you get hurt for me, Misa," Kat said. "Appreciate it, though. Always wanted a knight in shining armor. Or, well, a leather jacket." He slowly pushed himself to his feet. "Look out for her for me, will ya?" he asked Miyu.

"Aww, how touching. It makes me want to cry," Monokuma said, dramatically sniffing back a tear. But that only lasted for a moment. "Come here, you!"

He leapt forward, grabbing Kat by the hair and pulled him into the elevator. Kat let out a soft, surprised sound of pain as he landed hard on his back.

"NO!" Misa shouted. She ran forward, going to do… something. It didn't matter what. But something. Anything. Her hands smacked against the elevator doors just as they sealed shut. And they just like, that were gone. Kat… Kit Kat… with all of his awful puns and jokes and nicknames… he was gone. Off to be punished for something that wasn't even his fault. Tears stung Misa's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't cry. Not here. Not when people could see her. Not when she was trembling with impotent rage.

"Misa," Zettai said quietly.

"Fuck. Off."

Thankfully, he got the message. Maybe he realized that she just really needed an outlet at the moment, and wouldn't be all that picky about what it was. She stared at the closed elevator doors as people slowly dispersed, some sniffling, others asking questions laced with confusion and fear, and still others doing their best to answer them. Miyu silently came up to Misa and took one of her hands. She flinched at the contact, but Miyu didn't let go, just laced her fingers between Misa's. Dimly, she heard a door open.

"Monokuma won't kill him," Shoma said from his doorway. It was opened just wide enough for him to stick his torso though.

"What makes you say that?" Miyu asked. Hope had entered her voice and Misa hated the sound of it.

"Because he dragged him off," Shoma said, as if explaining colors to a five year old. He drew a sharp breath and squeezed his eyes shut. "Sorry. Um, Monokuma always makes a spectacle of death. He would have made sure that we saw it. Not done it somewhere in private."

"What if you're wrong?" Misa asked quietly.

Shoma looked at her for a long moment. "I'm not." And with that, he shut his door again, leaving just Misa and Miyu standing in the hallway with their linked hands.

* * *

 **Get ready for the motive coming up soon! Also, I may or may not be able to get a chapter up next week. My weekend is looking very, very busy, but we'll see what happens.**

 **Until next time!**


	15. Chapter Two Part III

**Hello again, lovely readers! Apologies for the short break. I tried my best to get a chapter out last week, but it just wasn't happening. And also sorry if this one is a bit on the shorter side. It was originally only supposed to be the first half of the chapter, but in the interest of my own sanity, I ended up splitting it here. So now we got a bit more time before the murder happens. But enough of me talking. On with the show!**

 **Shirasaur: If you makes you feel any better, my heart was breaking as I did that to Kat too. We'll see if any of your theories about him being the motive turn out to be true or** **not! And I'm glad that you liked Satsuki's FTE! I was really glad that she got one, especially since it let me give her a bit more screen time after maybe not giving her a lot last Chapter.**

 **liammarklh88: Yeah, Kat probably should have seen something like this coming. Monokuma _did_ warn him after all... Really, he should have been more careful. What was he thinking, having dangerous explosives around? **

**Abitat Eco: Hey, use all of the scream therapy you need. Sorry for doing that to your boy. I swear, it hurt me too! haha But it needed to happen, for reasons that shall be revealed at... some... point. Maybe. Also, yeah, I really enjoy writing Fujiko and Satsuki's friendship. They probably have one of the closest ones at the moment.**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Yeah, Monokuma is a little bitch, isn't he? But we still love him. Or at least love to hate him. And you're right, Miyu's troubles do tend to be a bit more obvious than Misa's. At least in terms of what the group as a whole sees. (Obviously Misa's are obvious to us; we're following her POV.) I think you'll like the FTE in this chapter though! ;)**

 **oddlyillregular: Hmm... if you'll be gone for two months, then we'll probably be somewhere in the middle of Chapter Three by the time you get back, assuming I'm still following my schedule. I hope you enjoy your future binge! Good luck in basic training!**

* * *

"He sounded confident. I think that we can believe him," Miyu said quietly. She looked down at their still linked hands. Misa's were still shaking. She should stop that, probably. That was never a good sign. It meant that she wasn't in control. In control. Right. As if she had even had one second of actual, true control the moment she woke up in this damned place. Miyu reached out and grabbed the other one, squeezing it tightly. "It's going to be okay."

"He took my friend," Misa said, her voice as sharp as it was quiet. She could barely hear it over the drumbeat pounding in her ears, urging her to run, fight, scream, tear Monokuma from limb to limb and laugh and dance over the burning remains of his corpse.

"He'll be okay. We have to believe that."

"Right. I'm sure Monokuma's punishment will just be a lovely spa day for him."

Misa tried to pull her hands away, but Miyu refused to let go. She stepped closer, desperate making her eyes bright. "He will be fine. Monokuma is just trying to screw with us, and we can't let him! We can't let him influence us like this!"

"So what? I'm just supposed to ignore the fact that that fucking bear just dragged Kat away?" she demanded, taking a step closer herself. "Because that's not going to happen."

"Of course not!" Miyu told her. "But being blinded by anger won't help! I can't have you go off and break the rules or kill someone because you're pissed off. Okay? I won't lose another friend to this. I can't."

Somewhere along the line, her voice became fragile, like a soft breeze would be enough to knock her over and shatter her beyond repair. Misa suddenly became super aware of just how little space there really was between them. She swallowed around the sudden lump in her throat and stepped back, a little disappointed with Miyu finally let go of her hands. No, no. Not disappointed. Relieved. Definitely relieved. That was the only proper reaction.

"Oh, so we're friends now, huh?" Misa asked, her teasing, joking tone sounding far too hollow and flat to be anything other than an obvious deflection.

"Of course. Why not? Do you secretly hate me too?" That last part was probably supposed to be a joke, but it really didn't sound like one.

"I don't do the whole friend thing. Too much of a liability." In more ways than one. Miyu just stared at her in disbelief, which, honestly, was the correct reaction there. It wasn't even a very good lie. But repeating it was enough to settle down the shaking, to let the drumbeats soften enough so that she could ignore them. Misa shook her head and started to walk away, being careful to step around the new crater in the floor.

"Wait," Miyu said. "Don't leave yet? We can go up to the greenhouse or something. Just for a few minutes?"

"Why?" Misa asked.

Miyu shrugged. "Why not? Come on, you can tell me more about that hallucinogenic plant."

And that's how Misa found herself sitting on a bench in the greenhouse, detailing one of her more interesting jobs. It was lightly edited, mostly to make herself look better, but it still made Miyu smile, no matter how shaky or distracted it might have been. It was nice, though. Not to be entirely alone at that moment. Soothing, even. Misa finished her story, and Miyu shook her head.

* * *

 **Miyu:** I can't even imagine all of the things you must have done.

 **Misa:** As a smuggler? Honestly, it's a lot of waiting around for the next job. The action and excitement are honestly just really brief moments.

 **Miyu:** Huh. I guess genetics is the same then.

 **Misa:** What do you mean?

 **Miyu:** Well, it's a lot of work and research. A lot of it boring while you wait for results to compile, or if an experiment doesn't produce any results.

 **Miyu:** But when you're right? When you make a breakthrough? It's like nothing else.

 **Misa:** Yeah, but you're and Ultimate. You've probably had more breakthroughs than most.

 **Miyu:** I… have worked very hard, yes.

 **Misa:** With what? Plants, animals…

 **Miyu:** Um, plants. At least at first. One of my first major projects was boosting oxygen production among nonagricultural plants.

 **Misa:** Guess that would explain your quick mental math the other day.

 **Miyu:** Yeah. I memorized those numbers, just waiting for them to change and get better. And then I went into agriculture itself.

 **Misa:** So useful areas then. No designer babies or anything?

 **Miyu:** You're joking, right?

 **Misa:** Mostly.

 **Miyu:** I just… I couldn't stand by while other people were hungry. Do you know how many food shortages there used to be? And for no good reason at all!

 **Misa:** Yeah, actually, I've lived through a few of them. Especially once I left home.

 **Miyu:** …Oh. Right. That makes sense.

 **Misa:** It's fine. I could actually do really good business bringing food down.

 **Miyu:** But that's been happening less and less. Or at least, it should be.

 **Misa:** Yeah, yeah, don't worry. Your magic plants are doing their job.

Miyu was quiet for a few moments. "You know, I've seen the differences in how people live on the Ship. I'm not stupid or anything."

"Don't think I've ever called you stupid," Misa said.

"No, I know. I was thinking of Kotoko's research. It surprised me, and it shouldn't have. I should have figured it out sooner."

"I don't know. Maybe it's a good thing. Means you're not a cynical bitch like me."

Miyu smiled at that, and stood. "Maybe. It's getting late. I should probably head back to my room."

Misa waved as she left, but didn't leave her spot until the nighttime announcement finally rang through the walls. Maybe a part of her hoped that Kat would be back by now, that his punishment would be quick. But eventually, she had to give up for the night and head to bed.

* * *

 **Miyu's Profile: Entry Two**

As befitting an Ultimate, Miyu has contributed a lot of successful research to the world of genetic engineering. She focuses on "useful" things, like increasing oxygen or food production, obviously passionate about making sure that everyone has access to basic necessities.

* * *

The next morning was… let's just call it difficult and leave it at that. The crater was gone when she woke up. It was the first thing that she checked, even before looking in on her babies. She stared at the unblemished floor, rage curling in her gut. Why did Monokuma have to make such a big deal out of this? It was obviously easily fixed. The damage wasn't permanent.

It wasn't even Kat's fault.

If he was telling the truth.

Of course, he was. He was a professional. He knew better than to do anything stupid. Besides, he was adamant that no one would every get hurt from his art. He wouldn't actually try to hurt Shouko.

So then who did? And why? To kill Kat? Shouko?

Those were the questions that echoed on a loop as she went to the lottery room to poke her head in. Guns were still there. Good. She was really not looking forward to the day that they suddenly went missing. Zettai was also there, because apparently them meeting there was going to be a reoccurring thing.

"Let me guess: so predictable," Misa said. Zettai looked at her over his shoulder from where he stood in front of the prize machine.

"You look like hell," he said. If it were anyone else, he would have almost sounded concerned. But it was Zettai, so he was probably just worried about having a defective asset or partner or whatever the hell they were now.

"Wow, thanks. Really know how to make a girl feel special."

"I do my best." He tilted his head towards the machine. "Did you find any coins on the second floor?"

"Just one. Why?"

"I searched the entire floor, and I only found one as well," Zettai said. "And I doubt Monokuma would have only hidden two coins."

"Okay, so other people picked them up. Not really that surprising," Misa told him.

"Maybe." He inserted his coin into the slot. Misa held her breath as the lights flashed and music played, but her guns didn't move. Instead, Zettai pulled out a large key. It was an incredibly garish thing. The handle formed a heart and was decorated with obviously fake, red gemstones. The rest of the key was painted black. Zettai and Misa looked at each other with matching expressions.

"We haven't run into a locked door yet… right?" she asked after a moment.

"Besides the one to the trial room? No," he said.

"So this is what? For another floor or something?"

"I guess we'll have to wait for another murder to find out."

"I thought that we were working together so that we could get out of here."

"Some of us. The people who will follow us, you. There's a bit of dead weight to cut before we're down to just those people, though."

"Right. Fun."

"Actually, that brings me to what I wanted to discuss with you," Zettai said, slipping the key into his jacket pocket. "With the… incident that happened yesterday, people are going to be scared. You'll need to give them a reason not to be. A calm, confident leader will go a long way towards that."

"Yeah, well, maybe someone should be scared," Misa told him quietly.

He stared at her for a very long time without saying anything. "I need you with me on this, Misa. Don't go and put yourself on the chopping block for something so stupid and…" he trailed off when he finally noticed the look on her face. "You're no use to anyone dead."

"Death is for other people. Not me," she said, a touch of a grin on her face. But it felt wrong, maybe a little feral. "Was there anything else?"

"You did hear me say calm and confident, yes?" he asked. "Not revenge-driven Fury? Referencing the Greek myths, of course."

"Of course," she said, like she actually has an idea of what that is. Misa turned and left the room, intent on finding breakfast. She heard Zettai's quiet sigh as he followed her out. Rudolph met them halfway there. The horror novelist was bouncing with pent up energy. In any other situation, it could have been interpreted as excitement, but there was nothing exciting here, so Misa put it down as nerves.

"Hi, Misa!" he said with a happy enough smile. His eyes slid to Zettai, and the smile became a little more strained. "Hi."

"Hey, Rudolph," Misa said.

They were quiet for a few steps. "I've been working on my story for you!" Rudolph told her. "The one with the kitsune? It should be done pretty soon. Depends on how much writing time I have coming up."

"Yes, certain events would make it harder to write, wouldn't it?" Zettai said.

"Yeah, no, I remember," she reassured Rudolph, completely ignoring the tactician. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Thanks. Hopefully it's good!"

"I'm sure that it will be."

The trio arrived at the dining room. Mostly everyone was there already. Shoma, Shouko and Ryuu were missing, but there was also a very good chance that none of them would show up at all. Well, Shoma definitely wouldn't, and after yesterday, Misa wouldn't blame Shouko for being a little paranoid. Ryuu could… just go and do whatever the hell he wanted. It was whatever.

Kat's chair was empty. He hadn't come back yet. Of course not. That would be too easy. That would be kind.

Misa froze in the doorway, her stomach heavy as lead. Her feet refused to move. Which was ridiculous. It was just an empty chair. And now everyone else was staring at her, and Hoshina was starting to stand up, and Miyu was looking very concerned, and Zettai was not quite glaring at her but was definitely looking at her like she was being an idiot and –

"I'm not hungry," she muttered, turning on her heel and speed walking away.

"Misa?" Rudolph called after her, but she ignored him. No one else came after her. She was probably glad that about. It was a little hard to tell. She made it to the safety of her room and locked the door behind her. She leaned her head against it and closed her eyes.

So much for a calm and confident leader. Maybe Zettai was starting to rethink choosing her as his proxy. She would, if she was a heartless bastard and was in his overly expensive shoes. She opened her eyes to look down at her scuffed boots.

"Awww… you didn't want to go to breakfast?" Misa's hands curled into fists. Monokuma giggled as she slowly turned around, lounging in her bed as if this was his room that she had invaded as opposed to the other way around. "But that's okay! Now we get a chance to sit and chat. Isn't that exciting?"

"Unless you want me to break one of your precious, stupid rules, get the fuck out of here right now," she growled.

Monokuma pouted, his entire body slumping forward. "But I just wanted to check in with you and make sure that my favorite smuggler was okay! I know that things got a little heated yesterday with Kit Kat. No hard feelings?"

Nope. Screw this. Misa promptly turned around and went out the door. Or, well, she tried to. The door was locked tight and refused to budge, no matter how hard Misa tried. Monokuma giggled again.

"Let me out!" she demanded.

"Weren't you listening, you stupid bitch? We're going to sit and chat," Monokuma said sweetly, his tone completely at odds with the actual words coming out of his mouth. "Sit down."

Misa glared at him and refused to move. Monokuma sighed.

"Fine. Be uncomfortable then," he said with a pout. After a few seconds, his expression brightened again. "You were such a star player in the last trial! Figuring things out, catching little hints of things. It was a stellar performance, truly. Only I could ever hope of rivaling it!"

"I did my best."

"Yeah… that's not going to work." A chill ran down Misa's spine as the bear hopped off the bed and slowly walked towards her. She took a half-step back before she could stop herself. "See, I have a very specific plan here, and I'm not about to let some two-bit criminal screw things up."

"So… what? You gonna kill me?" she asked.

"Nah, what kind of game master breaks his own rules? I just need you to relax, take it easy. Let some other bastard do all of the heavy lifting next trial."

"Who says there'll be one?"

"Me and my shiny new motive."

Okay, that was a fair point. "Why the hell would I agree to that?" Misa asked. Monokuma tapped one paw against his chin. A slow, malicious grin spread across his face.

"Because if you don't… Kit Kat is going to be very, very sad. I wonder if you can still make explosives if you're missing your fingers… or even a hand."

He – he wasn't joking, was he? He was completely serious right now. He would really do that to Kat. Misa swallowed through the sudden lump in her throat, trying her best to ignore the growing ringing in her ears.

"Think very carefully about what you are doing," she said softly.

"Samsies." Monokuma matched her tone. They stared at each other for a few moments. Misa looked away first. "Excellent! I'll be sure to pass along the good news. Oh, and head to the auditorium. I'll be making my announcement soon."

He quickly slid under Misa's bed and disappeared. She didn't bother trying to follow him or see if there was a secret hatch that he had used; she knew by now that it was pointless. She ran a hand through her hair, paced back and forth a few times, and screamed.

"Fuck!"

Okay. Okay, this was definitely something that she needed to share with the others. Monokuma didn't make her take a vow of silence or whatever, so that should be fine. Maybe they could tell her what the fuck she was supposed to do right now.

 _ **Ding dong, Bing bong**_

"Ahem! Everyone, please report to the auditorium for a _very_ special announcement. And make sure to bring your Monopads! Anyone who does not, shall be punished!"

The speakers cut off with a burst of static, making Misa flinch. She knew better than to dawdle, but it still took her a few minutes to calm herself down enough to function like a somewhat normal being. She still managed to be one of the first ones to make it to the auditorium.

Ryo and Shouko sat in chairs on opposite ends of the two, although Ryo kept looking at her like he wanted to move seats and join her. Misa quietly moved to stand behind her, shooting Ryo a warning look. The adventurer deflated slightly, obviously feeling left out of the fun.

"How do you feel?" Misa asked Shouko quietly. The robotics engineer sat with perfect posture, her chin jutted out slightly. At some point, someone had given her a Band-Aid to place over the largest cut on her face.

"It shall take more than some stupid prank to harm the Iron Maiden," she declared. She only met Misa's eyes for a moment before looking away.

"If you say so."

"Ja! I do."

Everyone else had filtered in by then. Misa muttered an excuse to leave and made a beeline to where Zettai and Sumire were standing together. She caught Miyu's eye and gestured for her to join them as well.

"My, my, you look like a woman on a mission," Sumire said, although her expression did not match her playful tone.

"Did something happen after you stormed off in a huff? Again?" Yep. Zettai was definitely annoyed with her.

"Shut up. We got bigger problems," Misa said, earning a frown from Miyu. She gently placed a hand on Misa's elbow.

"What happened?"

"Monokuma's benched me. I can't be helpful in the next trial."

"What? Why you?" Sumire asked. If Misa didn't know any better, she would think that she almost sounded offended.

"And you're just going to listen to him," Zettai said. He had crossed his arms, eyes narrowed as he though.

Misa shrugged. "He was… very persuasive."

"You okay?" Miyu asked. Misa just nodded. It wasn't like she was the one who was being threatened.

Sumire silently counted something off on her fingers. "I don't like that Monokuma is instituting this rule already. We don't even have a motive yet."

"Then tell me, what is it that you think this announcement is?" Zettai asked, rolling his eyes. Sumire looked at him flatly.

"Doesn't matter. We won't have another trial," Miyu said quietly.

"Oh, so we're starting this again? Great."

"Shut up. You're not helping."

Any further argument was, thankfully, cut off by the sound of fanfare blasting through the speakers. Right as they reached their peak, Monokuma dropped down from the ceiling, twirling through the air with the grace of a gymnast. He stuck the landing perfectly. After a moment, Ryo started to applaud. He was the only one. Not a big surprise.

"Thank you, thank you," Monokuma said, bowing anyway. He clapped his hands together and looked out over the gathered group. There was no mistaking the way his eyes lingered on Misa. Miyu took a small step closer. "So, you're probably all wondering why I've gathered you here today."

"Go fuck yourself, kid!" Ryuu called out.

"Yeah!" Fujiko yelled. "Don't try to be a buddy buddy with us, you stupid jerk! We're not gonna listen!"

Monokuma looked like she was trying to hold back a sigh. "You Ultimates. Where's your perfect manners to go with your perfect reputation? And I was here to do something nice for you too."

"A motive isn't very nice," Sumire pointed out.

"Oh. That." Monokuma shrugged. "I was talking about something else, but we can skip right to that if you really want!"

"Wait! No! I don't want that!" Rudolph said, looking around at everyone with wide eyes. Kotoko quickly moved to comfort him. Huh. Where was Hoshina? That was usually her job. Misa quickly glanced around, and found her standing very close to Shoma. Zettai followed Misa's line of sight and frowned slightly.

"You guys really need to make up your minds," the awful bear said. "You want to skip right to the motive and ruin all my build up, you don't want the motive at all, you can't have it both ways! But since Sumire asked first, I got to follow her wish!" He raised his paw. On cue, fourteen Monopads chimed with an alert. "May I present to you, your twisted, murderous motive!"

Misa pulled out her Monopad. A dancing Monokuma avatar bounced up and down in the middle of her screen, the words "Click Me!" written underneath. She hesitated, finger hovering over the screen.

"Da fuck is this?" Ryuu demanded.

"Upupupupup. I thought that you should all know your fellow Ultimates just a bit better! And what better way to do that then to send you one of your fellow's deepest, darkest secret?"

What?

Misa's mind immediately went to her own secret. There was no doubt in her mind as to what it could be. But how the hell did Monokuma figure that out? She's never told a soul that. Not even Tetsu.

"Wait, mine doesn't have a name," Satsuki said quietly. She looked more confused than concerned, though.

"Well, duh. It's no fun if I tell you who's secret you got! It's more of a bonding experience if you figure it out on your own!" There was a small squeak as Rudolph dropped his Monopad. Monokuma immediately whirled around to face him. "Hey! Be careful with those!"

Rudolph wasn't listening. His eyes were solely fixed on Sumire. "Some-someone wants to kill you!" he told her. Sumire's postured immediately stiffened, her face draining of color. Still, her voice was absolutely steady when she spoke.

"That's ridiculous."

Rudolph quickly shook his head, bending down to scoop back up his Monopad. "It's right here! Look!" Sumire joined him with quick, efficient strides. Misa couldn't see her face from this angle, but whatever Sumire read, it certainly wasn't good news.

"I see," was all she said, those words as cold as two chips of ice. Everyone else was concerned, of course, but Ryuu's reaction is what drew Misa's eye. The damn bounty hunter was smirking, even if there was an obvious tightness around his mouth and eyes. He caught Misa staring at him, and the smirk melted into something more natural.

Kotoko gasped suddenly. It was quiet and involuntary, but the room was silent enough that she might as well have yelled. Her hands shook as she stared down at whatever secret she had. Slowly, she looked up, but her eyes were distant. Whatever she was seeing, it wasn't the rows of chairs in front of her. Hoshina quickly left Shoma's side to join her.

"Oh, fuck," Miyu whispered.

"What?"

She wordlessly handed her Monopad over. Misa took one look at it and bit back the urge to curse herself.

 **I ORCHESTRATED ITAMI'S DEATH**

The words were blood red. Undeniable and crystal clear. Zettai moved so that he could read over Misa's shoulder. There was a small, sharp inhale, but that was the only visible reaction he had. She gave the Monopad back.

"What does yours say?" he asked quietly. Misa looked back down at the dancing Monokuma, and after taking a moment to steady herself, tapped the screen.

 **I'M A MEMBER OF THE BLACK DOVES**

"Crap," Misa muttered. She knew that name very well. She had done more than a few jobs for them, usually when the money was really tight and she and Tetsu didn't have the luxury of being picky.

"Isn't that the terrorist group?" Miyu asked. Misa nodded once.

"Great. That's just what we need," Zettai said, running a hand through his hair.

Monokuma laughed, obviously pleased with his handiwork. "Ah, I love it when a good motive comes together." He clapped his hands together. "Well, my work here is done!"

"Wait! What about the second thing?" Ryo asked, holding up his Monopad as he did so. Misa could just barely make out the words on it.

 **I'M SCARED ALL MY FRIENDS WILL DIE AND LEAVE ME ALONE**

Wow. Okay then. That's a heavy secret.

Monokuma scratched the side of his face. "Huh? The second thing? Oh! Yeah… that." He waved his hand, and the doors to the auditorium opened. Kat slowly walked through them, looking around as if he was just waiting for all of it to disappear the moment he so much as blinked.

"Kit Kat!"

He jumped, startled by the sound. Misa took a few, quick steps towards him, relief flooding through her. He didn't look hurt. At all. He looked perfectly fine. She did a quick inventory of all his limbs. Obviously, he was still missing his legs, but there were no new prosthetics thrown into the mix. His fingers were fine. His arms were fine. His… his arm. His arm with a black tattoo. A black tattoo of a dove. The same tattoo that Misa had been meaning to ask about since it felt familiar, even if she couldn't remember why.

Wow.

She was a fucking idiot.

Honestly, it felt like she was going to be sick. And this was why friends were a liability. This was exactly why she didn't have them.

"Hannah Solo," Kat said with a shaky grin. He looked around. "Huh. I really missed a party, didn't I?"

Miyu pushed past Misa in her race to hug Kat. But the moment she wrapped her arms around him, he yelped and flinched away. Miyu immediately let go, eyes wide, bringing her hands up to cover the lower half of her face.

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I didn't know!"

"Nah, it's cool," Kat told her.

"No, it's not!" she protested. She turned to glare at a still smiling Monokuma. "What the hell did you do to him?"

Monokuma shrugged. "Ask him." Kat flinched. "My work here is done." He backflipped and disappeared behind the podium.

"Freaking cop out," Fujiko said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"That's not important right now," Hoshina told her, rushing to Kat's side. She looked for all the world like she wanted to hug him, but barely managed to hold herself back. "We're all really glad that you're okay."

"Hmpf." Shouko was ignored.

"… Good to see ya, kid."

Kat blinked in surprise. He looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "Thanks, Ape Face."

"Yes, yes, this is a very touching moment, but we have bigger issues," Sumire said sharply. "Which one of you wants me dead?"

"Wait, what?"

"New motive. Check your Monopad. You got someone's secret," Misa summed up. If he noticed the shortness of her words, he didn't comment on it. Just nodded after a moment.

"Why are you surprised?"

As one, the entire group turned to look at Shoma. For whatever reason, he hadn't vanished the moment that he was allowed to, just leaned against the wall, his red headphones dangling around his neck. Hoshina's smile wavered.

"Excuse me?" Sumire asked.

"You're supposed to be smart. Use your brain and think. There's one logical choice." He shrugged and pushed himself off of the wall, apparently having said his piece.

"Shoma, wait," Hoshina said. She looked at everyone apologetically before chasing him out into the hall. Kotoko watched them go, her lips pressed together in a thin line.

"Fucking weirdo," Ryuu said, not even bothering to keep his voice low or quiet.

"I wonder what his secret is," Zettai said thoughtfully. His eyes were locked on Kotoko. Misa frowned. Did he assume that she had it?

"We should all read our secrets out loud," Miyu said.

"Why would we?" Satsuki asked, tilted her head to the side.

"So that way it's not just weighing down on one person," she argued. "We can share it. Work through it together instead of bottling it up inside."

"Nein," Shouko said. "The Iron Maiden refuses." She stood from her chair and left without another word, not even stopping to listen to Miyu's protests. Misa sucked in a breath and held it for a few seconds.

"Any other disagreements?" Miyu asked. Her voice was already tired, expecting someone to voice one. Still probably didn't make it any easier when Misa spoke up.

"I don't know if I would want everyone knowing my secret," she admitted. After a second she added, "Or knowing the secret I have."

"You don't even know what your secret is yet though."

"I have a pretty good idea. Don't you? About your own secret?"

Miyu didn't have an answer for that. She searched for one, but Misa could see it in her eyes. When someone says "deepest, darkest secret," there's only one thing that pops up.

Kat's stomach decided that that was the perfect moment to imitate a whale's mating call. Heat immediately rose to his cheeks. "Sorry. I… didn't really get a chance to eat. I'm gonna go… do… that."

"I'll come with you," Misa said quickly. Just because she wasn't going to share his secret with everyone else, doesn't mean that she wasn't going to corner him and confront him about it. She needed to hear him say the words himself. Kat looked at her, confusion and a bit of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"Sure. Lead the way, Solo."

* * *

 **And so, our motive has been announced. I know that the idea of "secrets" has been used many times before, but I tried to put my own spin on it. Let me know what you think of it! I'm really curious to hear your reactions.**

 **Until next time!**


	16. Chapter Two Part IV

**Don't worry! I didn't forget about you guys yesterday. I was just running a bit behind on the chapter. But we are here now and ready to delve into some really fun secrets. And remember, a murder is coming~**

 **alucard deathsinger: You know, I've been wondering what you thought of Zettai's recent actions. Glad to hear that you approve! haha And yeah, Misa is slowly but surely getting there. It's a process with her, that's for sure. Oh, and Kat had always been missing his legs. That happened before the story began. Just to clear up some confusion. :)**

 **liammarklh88: I'm actually excited for this case two. Don't get me wrong, I'll be screaming and cursing while writing it, but I'm excited. It's going to be a fun one. And yes, Itami is going to be mentioned a couple of times still. People aren't just going to forget the first murderer after all XP**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Kat is indeed alive. Really, that's the best that we could have hoped for here. Yeah, Kotoko certainly did have a reaction, didn't she? Whatever secret she got, it certainly wasn't good! (Are any of them good? That's the true question.)**

 **Abitat Eco: A lot of people hate Zettai. I wonder why... not like he's done anything awful or anything... As for karma, well... we shall see. There's definitely _something_ happening with him. I'm glad that you like how I write Monokuma! He's such a hard character to write that I'm always nervous trying to get his voice right.**

 **Shirasaur: That's okay. This is a late chapter haha Honestly, I'm debating how to release all of the secrets and in what order. They're really fun to play with and mess with. I'm curious to hear which you think have been revealed so far!**

 **Crimson Spider Lily: Look, breaking your heart is what writers do. Especially in this fandom. Seriously, just wait until the later Chapters... Anyways! Remember that key! Please! It's something really fun, promise. haha And of course Monokuma organized who got what secrets for maximum pain and fear. Why would he do anything different?**

* * *

Misa silently followed Kat into the kitchen. He moved stiffly, as if in pain, although she couldn't see any physical wounds on him. Again, she found herself counting all of his fingers, just to make sure that they were all there. It was odd. Here she was making sure that he was okay even as betrayal made her mouth taste sour. No, it wasn't odd. It was worrying. She had been stuck in here way too long. She was getting way too attached.

Kat seemed to pick up on her mood because he got her something fried and sweet without even asking. Misa smiled slightly and leaned against the counter where she could keep one eye on the door.

"You scared a lot of people, Kit Kat," she said quietly.

"Myself included. Still can't believe I'm still here," he admitted. There was no humor or levity to his voice, although he tried to keep his face lively. "What would you guys have done without my hilarious jokes?"

"Fallen into despair," she deadpanned. Kat laughed quietly at that, although his face quickly screwed up in pain. Misa balled her hands into fists. So Monokuma did hurt him. Just not where anyone could see.

"It's not that bad, Solo."

"Yeah, if you say so."

"I do."

Misa swallowed thickly and looked away. "So what do you think of the new motive?" she asked. Kat was saved from immediately answering by the arrival of the food. She wordless took her food and sat on the edge of the counter, obviously having no intention of going out into the dining room. The kitchen was far more private. Kat scratched the back of his neck and awkwardly sat down on the floor.

"Gonna cause a lot of fights," he said. "Probably because of Ape Face." Yeah, Ryuu would probably be the source of a couple. Though she wouldn't put it past Fujiko to start a few either. Or Shouko.

"What did you get?" Misa asked, inclining her head towards where she could see his Monopad sticking out of his front pocket. She was ignoring the question, the obvious one that was beating in her chest in time with her heart. She had done work for the Black Doves before. She knew what kind of people they were. She had to know if Kat was the same. Eventually. At some point. Soon.

Kat hesitated. "I don't know, Solo. Should we really be spreading these around?"

"I'll tell you what I got," Misa said. Kat sighed but pulled out his device.

"Just got to click the dancing bear, right? Wow, that's obnoxious. Here we go. Oh, wow. Um, 'I hate my siblings for leaving me behind with my parents'. _That_ sounds like a healthy home life."

"No kidding," Misa said, even as she felt a pang of empathy for whoever this person was. Hell, she was still angry at Dad for leaving her alone with Mom, and it wasn't even his fault. She couldn't imagine how she would feel towards a sibling who willingly left her behind. She could never do that to a younger sibling. Never.

"I wonder who it is," Kat said. Misa shook her head. She didn't really know enough of people's home lives to guess. "Alright, fair's fair. Whatcha get?"

Misa looked down at her plate. "I got yours. You're a member of the Black Doves."

Kat immediately leapt to his feet, knocking his food onto the floor. "I am not!"

"Katashi, you literally have a tattoo of a black dove on your arm," she said, hating how harsh her voice was but not finding in within herself to turn it gentle.

"Wow. Breaking out the full name, huh? Now I know this is serious."

"Of course it's serious!" Misa shook her head. "Fuck, Kat. Can you imagine how other people will react? I mean, I'm pissed off, and I like to think that I'm pretty accepting of alternative lifestyles."

Kat's face fell. "You're really mad at me?" he asked, his voice small. Guilt clawed at her. She shrugged.

"That you lied to me about being part of a low key terrorist organization? Yeah, just a bit."

"Even though you've done jobs for them?"

"As a last resort? Before they started actually blowing up buildings when there were people inside them? Yeah. Money is money. Morals take a backseat when you need to eat." She paused. Blowing up buildings. Explosives. "Oh no."

"Okay, I know what you're thinking, but that isn't me," Kat said quickly. "No! Really! That's where I drew the line too! I got out. I'm on the straight and narrow. It's the only thing about me that is." He grinned, although it was very, very shaky. Misa frowned.

"You got out," she repeated. Kat nodded quickly. "No one ever gets out."

"Yeah, well, I did. Joined the government, just like I said," he said. "I promise, Misa. I'm not lying."

"Really? Because my secret specifically said 'am.' As in the present case or tense or whatever. That doesn't sound like you got out," Misa said. Why was she even being so stubborn about this? Kat was giving her an easy out here. He was a Black Dove, but he left when they went really radical. He was still the same person she knew. Still her friend. Ally. She didn't do friends. Why couldn't she just accept that?

"I don't know!" Kat yelled. Frustration flushed his face red. "That stupid demon bear must be lying! Or tweaking things so that they sound as bad as possible!" He slumped, the fight draining out of him as quickly as it appeared. "I don't want to hurt people, Misa. That's the last thing I ever want to do. Please just… please."

"Okay," Misa said quietly as a wave of exhaustion hit her. "Okay."

Kat immediately perked up. "Wait, you – you believe me, Solo? Really?"

Misa hesitated for a moment, but nodded all the same. "I want to, at least. Guess that can be the same thing in here." A brilliant smile broke out over Kat's face as he rushed forward to hug her. The angle was a little awkward given the height difference, but they still made it work. Misa smiled, almost despite herself, and lightly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, not wanting to accidentally hurt him. "I'm glad you're okay, Kit Kat," she said quietly. "Yesterday was… bad."

"I know," he said, equally as quiet. Misa cleared her throat and gently leaned back. Kat quickly got the hint and ended the hug, taking a few steps back. Yeah, that was a bit too much touchy feely shit for today.

"We should eat," she said, like that wasn't one of the most sudden and blatant attempts to change the conversation topic in history. Kat grinned, but went along with it. They got him new food, at Misa's insistence, and finally moved into the dining room to eat it. Hers had grown cold a while ago, but she didn't mind too much. Food was food. They finished their meals, deliberately not talking about anything important at all, and went their separate ways. There were a few more people that Kat wanted to check in with, make sure that they were okay. And maybe tell his secret to. Personally, Misa thought that it would be best if he got in front of any backlash, but he seemed hesitant when she brought it up. Not that surprising really, but still.

Misa gently squeezed his shoulder as they parted ways, definitely not reassuring herself that he was there and solid and real, and decided to swing by the lottery room to check on her guns one more time. Sure, she just did so before breakfast, but there was this itch between her shoulder blades, propelling her forward. She just needed to make sure that they were still okay.

"Can you blame me?"

Misa slowed as she approached the open lottery room door, instinctively moving to press up against the wall. That sounded like a very frustrated Sumire. Understandable really, given what just recently happened.

"Ya, like you have the fucking moral high ground," Ryuu told her. He, in contrast, sounded rather in control of the situation. Oh, that must be pissing Sumire off. Misa bit her bottom lip as she tiptoed closer. Was this technically eavesdropping and a breach of privacy? Yes. Did Misa care? No, not really. Information was information, especially when it came to those two. If they didn't want to be spied on, they should have closed the damn door.

"I thought that we were a team," Sumire said.

"That why ya turned on me? Great way to show it, kid."

"You really think our situation would be better if I was all but exiled too? I am trying to salvage this!"

"Nah, you fucking stabbed me in the back. Don't appreciate shit like that."

"So you want to kill me. Because of something that I didn't even do?"

"If someone's gotta go…" Misa could hear the smirk in Ryuu's voice. Oh, and to think that she ever liked him even for a second. "What? Not a liar like some of the people here. Aw, don't cry, kid. If I kill someone, ain't gonna be you. Too fucking obvious now."

"I am not crying," Sumire stated, her voice as smooth and fragile as glass. "My, my, I thought you valued loyalty. But now I see that you're no different than the men and women you hunt."

Ryuu's voice dropped into a growl. "You wanna say that again, kid?"

"No need to repeat myself. I'm sure that you heard me the first time."

Misa jumped as something loud crashed inside of the room. Yeah, okay, time to intervene. This was getting a bit too violent. Casually as she could, she stepped inside of the doorway. Her body language wasn't immediately threatening, but Misa could feel the adrenaline twisting through her veins. Ryuu had Sumire cornered against one of the walls, clearly within her personal space. She met Misa's eyes immediately and smiled, calm and confident as you please.

"Hello, Misa," she said. "Nice to see you."

Ryuu scoffed. "Yeah right. Like I'm gonna fall for – "

"Nice to see you too, Sumire," Misa interrupted with a grin. Ryuu's head immediately whipped around. "Ryuu. Everything alright?"

"Fucking great," Ryuu said, although if that was a response to Misa's question or just the fact that she appeared was a little questionable.

"Just having a casual conversation," Sumire said, pushing lightly on Ryuu's shoulder to make him back up a few steps.

"Yeah. Sounded real casual," Misa told her. Her lips parted slightly in surprise before she looked away, embarrassed. Ryuu just glared at them. "Well, at least we got one secret down. Bet people will love it when that gets out."

"I ain't hiding it," Ryuu said, crossing his arms.

"Maybe you should," Misa said. "Especially if you don't actually plan on doing anything."

"Oh, I think I'm still going to tell a few people," Sumire said. "Just for insurance. The rules would allow him to kill both of us, after all."

She swept out of the room on that note, flashing Misa a small, grateful smile as she passed. Misa didn't move, not even as Ryuu slowly drew closer. She looked down at him and raised her eyebrows, silently prompting him to say whatever it was that was clearly infuriating him.

And he wanted to say something. That much was clear. But Ryuu bit his tongue instead, roughly shoving past Misa on his way out into the hall. Misa turned and watched him disappear around the corner, adrenaline still thrumming through her.

"Yeah, that's trouble," she muttered to herself. She ran a hand down her braid, and sighed. Maybe they should just lock that asshole in his room or something. Hoshina could bring him food. Maybe she would be able to get through to him too, get him to stop being so angry. That would work, right? Maybe? Ish?

Okay, so it wouldn't. But it was nice to pretend that it would. Misa sighed again and headed back in the direction of her room. Hopefully this time, there wouldn't be a stupid, monochromatic teddy bear waiting for her. Ugh, just the thought of it sent chills up and down her arms.

Misa rounded the corner to see a small group of girls gathered in front of Kotoko's door. Hoshina, Satsuki and Fujiko stood there, the former standing a somewhat noticeable distance away from the other two. She was still gently smiling, but there was definitely some tension between the three.

"Looks like a party," Misa said as she drew closer.

"Hello," Hoshina said quietly as Fujiko waved. Satsuki merely nodded in greeting.

"Oh hey, Kotoko was looking for you!" Fujiko said. "Did she find ya? Is that why you're here?"

Misa frowned. "No, I was just going to my room. Why?"

"She wished to discuss the secret that she got," Hoshina said.

"I don't know why I'm here," Satsuki admitted quietly. Fujiko mocked glared at her.

"You were invited too!"

"I was standing right next to you when she invited you. I'm only here because she didn't want to be rude."

"I'm sure that's not true," Hoshina said, her need to be comforting overriding anything else. Satsuki still looked unconvinced, but was saved from continuing the conversation by Kotoko arriving, her face flushed and hair in disarray.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were already here," she said, smiling distractedly at Misa.

"She only just showed up," Hoshina told her, tilting her head towards the door. "Shall we?"

"Right. Yes, sorry," Kotoko said as she let the group into her room. Misa took one look at the mint green walls and bedding and hummed thoughtfully. It was light and fairly calming; it almost made the room feel bright and airy. But there was still something about it that reminded Misa of sickness and queasiness.

Kotoko fluttered around the room for a few moments, making sure that everyone had a seat and was comfortable. She paid particular attention to Satsuki, which only made the astronomer shrink further away from her. Finally she sat down herself.

"So… what's up?" Fujiko asked, fidgeting in her seat.

Kotoko took a deep breath. "I'm really worried." She looked at Hoshina helplessly. "For everyone, but really for you."

"Thank you, but you really don't need to be," Hoshina reassured her. Kotoko immediately shook her head.

"No, look." She pulled her Monopad out from under her desk and tapped a few buttons before passing it to Misa.

"I'm the Ultimate Analyst," Misa read aloud. She looked back up at Kotoko, confused. "Wait, we don't have one of those."

"So someone is lying about their talent? So what?" Fujiko asked. "Not like they're the Ultimate Serial Killer."

"No, it's worse!" Kotoko told her. "I would prefer that!" She closed her eyes and took a calming breath. "I'm sorry. Please, just let me explain."

"Of course we will," Hoshina said. Misa glanced at her and frowned. Okay, her smile was definitely strained.

"Okay. Thanks. Um, okay. So back on Earth, the Tragedy was started by one woman, Junko Enoshima. She was a student at Hope's Peak Academy, and became obsessed with despair. She infected people with it, and the world burned because of it."

"Yes, we all know this," Satsuki told her, irritation briefly crossing her face. Misa looked at her out of the corner of her eye. Hey, speak for yourself. Personally, she liked the reminder.

"Junko's talent was the Ultimate Analyst. It's the reason why she despaired in the first place. Everything else was boring and predictable, but despair was… exciting to her." Kotoko looked down at her hands. "And now we have that here. I think that this is the person behind all of this."

"That's ridiculous," Hoshina immediately said, voice turning harsh. She caught herself, eyes widening. "I'm sorry, Kotoko. I didn't mean it like that."

"No, no, it's okay," Kotoko said quietly. "You listened to me. That's all I wanted. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

Fujiko looked between them. "Wait, that's it? We're done?"

"Yes," Hoshina said after a slight hesitation.

"No," Misa said. "We are not." Satsuki nodded. "This is serious. We know that Monokuma is working with someone else. I mean, someone has to be controlling him. Why not this Ultimate Analyst?"

"I think I know who it is too," Kotoko said. Tension slowly appeared in Hoshina's shoulders.

"Really? You shoulda leaded with that!" Fujiko said. "Who is it?"

"Shoma."

Oh.

Yeah, that actually made a lot of sense. If nothing else, it would explain his really creepy behavior at the last trial. And his dual-colored room. And why Monokuma took an obscene amount of pleasure in riling him up.

Wait.

"Shoma can't be the mastermind or whatever the hell we're calling it," Misa said. "It's way too obvious."

"You – you think so?" Hoshina asked, stuttering in surprise.

"But…" Kotoko trailed off.

"I'm not saying that he isn't the Analyst," Misa said. "But if he wanted to hide who he was, he's doing an awful job. Why would he even willingly give away a secret like that?"

"To trick us," Satsuki said. "He knew that this would be your thought process."

"Okay, so then he knew that you would know that," Misa said. "And he knew that we knew that he would know that we knew that."

Fujiko dropped her head into her hands. "Oh, that's getting way too confusing." Satsuki frowned, but nodded all the same.

"I see your point."

"If he's the Ultimate Analyst, then he's still dangerous," Kotoko said.

"The only person that Shoma is a danger to is himself," Hoshina said. "He won't hurt anyone. He doesn't want to."

"Neither did Itami," Satsuki pointed out. Fujiko shot her a look. "It's true."

This was just going to keep circling, wasn't it? Especially if Satsuki kept bringing up points that could apply to everyone.

"This is why I'm worried about you, Hoshina." Kotoko leaned forward, ducking her head to meet the psychologist's eye. "You're too close to this. He could be manipulating you so easily! That's what the Analysts do! That's how Junko started the whole Tragedy!"

Hoshina's smile completely disappeared. "That may have been what Junko did, but Shoma is not her. At all. This is why he isolates himself. Because people will judge and condemn him without even taking a moment to listen to him!"

Why would they even give out the Ultimate Analyst title anymore? That just seemed to be asking for trouble or a self-fulfilling prophecy or whatever. Imagine living under the pressure of something like that. Seriously, were the Title Giving People sadists or something? Masochists? Maybe masochists.

Wait, did Hoshina already know about Shoma's true talent? That's what it sounded like…

"Alright, then let's talk to him!" Fujiko said, jumping to her feet. "Or let him talk so we can listen. Problem solved!"

Hoshina also stood, placing a restraining hand on the navigator's forearm. "Or you'll overwhelm him and push him to isolate himself further."

"I don't want to talk to him," Satsuki muttered.

Misa looked between all four girls, closed her eyes, and sighed. "I'll do it. Alone. We've at least talked a few times. If he's going to answer anyone, it'll be me."

"I want to go with you," Hoshina said. "I can help make him more comfortable."

"Or you'll influence things so we don't get the truth," Satsuki said. Kotoko nodded, guilt flashing through her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I agree with her."

Fujiko shrugged. "I don't care either way, as long as you tell us about it later."

Hoshina looked down at her feet. With effort, she summoned her gentle smile again. "It sounds like I'm outnumbered."

"I'm sorry," Kotoko said again.

That was how Misa found herself standing in front of Shoma's door, thinking to herself that she was a freaking idiot for volunteering to do this. Although… it was still just Shoma. He was still the same person who had been so focused on his game that he barely introduced himself, who had responded in utter panic when she saw the colors of the room, who had stepped up and saved their lives when no one else could during the trial. That thought more than anything is what prompted her to finally knock on his door.

No answer.

Naturally.

She knocked again, more insistent this time. And again for a third time. And then a fourth fifth, sixth.

Maybe this was why no one would listen to him. He never gave anyone the fucking chance.

Finally, the door opened a crack just wide enough for Shoma to glare one eye through. "What do you want?" he asked.

"We need to talk, Analyst," Misa said. Hey, bluntness was the best policy, right? Besides, any patience she might have had had faded after the seventh minute of knocking. Shoma's already pale skin turned stark white.

"You had my secret?" he asked.

"Kotoko did. I'm just the designated talker. Sorry, Hoshina got disqualified."

"That sucks."

"Aw, you don't like seeing my pretty face? No, no, don't close the door!"

Shoma looked at her flatly, but kept the door open. "What do you want, Misa?"

"To talk. Figure out what's going on," she said. "And no, I'm not leaving until we do."

"Because you're a stubborn bitch."

Misa grinned. "Exactly. Glad you remembered."

Shoma frowned and stared at Misa intently. She tried her bet to ignore the feeling that he was staring directly into her soul. Finally, he grunted and opened the door wide enough for her to step inside. The room was even more of a mess than she remembered. Misa carefully stepped around the piles of dirty laundry and moved a dirty dish so that she could sit at the desk. Shoma collapsed onto the unmade bed.

"Guess I should be glad that Kotoko got my secret. Not Zettai," he said with an eye roll.

"He'll figure it out soon."

"Why?" Shoma asked, something intense and dangerous glinting in his eyes.

"He's a smart boy," Misa said, tilting her head to the side. Shoma smirked briefly before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. "You do that a lot."

"I have to," he said quietly. "Otherwise, it's too easy to slip up and use my talent."

Misa leaned forward. "You don't use your talent?"

Shoma's eyes flew open. "Of course not!" he all but yelled. "I can't. I won't!"

"Why not? Seems like it would be useful."

"Because if I do, then things become boring. And that's bad. I don't want thing to be boring." He started to pull on one of the strings of his hoodie. "People get boring."

"So on a scale of one to ten, with one being the feeling you get when the store doesn't have the candy bar you want, and ten being the feeling you get when you're smothered in a pile of puppies, how hopeful do you feel right now?" Misa asked. Shoma just looked at her in disgust.

"This isn't a joke! If I slip up, if I make _one_ mistake, we are fucked! Get that through your simple, stupid head!"

Misa sat up straighter, taking a moment to breathe a calming breath. "No need for insults," she said mildly. "Trust me, I've been told how bad that is."

"Right," Shoma said, hunching his shoulders up around his ears. "Sorry." Misa waved away his apology. "But now you see why I can't be around people. It's not safe."

Not safe? Sure, that was one way to put it, assuming that Shoma was actually telling the truth about anything. Misa was… inclined to believe him, though. There was nothing here that necessarily rang false. She had seen enough panic attacks out of him to know that his stress over this was real enough. And why wouldn't it be? One mistake, and it was over. She couldn't live like that.

But still…

"That's bullshit," Misa said.

"No, it's not," Shoma argued.

"Oh, so you're not spending any time with Hoshina? At all? No conversations happening there whatsoever." Shoma's face slowly turned bright red. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Oh, but don't worry. She has the same exact reaction."

"I hate you," he muttered, looking away.

"It's okay. Most people do," Misa said with a grin. Shoma watched her out of the corner of his eye and frowned. Misa fought the urge to look away. "And I thought you didn't use your talent."

"It's too easy to do it around people. Hard to stop."

Oh, that was going to get annoying. She was a Ship-wide Woman of Mystery for a reason. It ruined some of the fun if he could just rip that away without any real effort. "Alright, so then where do you go from here?" Misa asked.

"Nowhere. I'm living my life just fine," Shoma said with a shrug. "Why would I change?"

"To make allies," Misa said after a moment. Shoma shook his head. Seriously? It would be nice for him to not shoot down literally everything that she said. "I'm serious. This secret is going to hit everyone else soon. Definitely at the next trial, if not sooner."

"You think there's going to be another murder," Shoma interrupted. It wasn't a question either.

"Yeah, well, I'm a cynical bitch. Anyways, you'll be suspect number one. There are some people who already think you're behind this whole thing." Shoma just looked at her. "Yeah, that's what I said."

"So you don't think I'm responsible?"

"Nah."

"Huh."

"Hoshina has faith in you. I can trust her instincts at least."

"… Thank you."

"Yeah, well, don't prove me wrong and we'll call it even," Misa said.

"I don't know if I can promise that," Shoma said and she groaned. So fucking defeatist. IT was obnoxious.

"Dude! Work with me a bit here!" she said.

"I'm just being honest," Shoma muttered. "Thought you appreciated honesty and bluntness."

Misa shook her head. "Just… come to breakfast tomorrow. If nothing else, Hoshina will be happy."

"You like pushing that angle a lot," he observed. Misa shrugged with a cheeky grin. "I can't."

"Of course you can. You're just a coward. But whatever. It's your life. If nothing else, I can tell people that you don't have the balls to murder someone."

"Now who's being insulting?"

Misa stood. "Just think about it."

"I won't."

A spark of annoyance shot through her. "Then be a shut-in your entire life, scared of fucking breathing the wrong way. Honestly, don't even know why you bother."

"Bother with what?" he asked, anger creeping into his words. "Huh? Bother with what? Living?"

"You said it," Misa told him. "Not me."

"Get out of my room."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."

Shoma wasted no time slamming the door behind her. Misa flinched a little at the sound. Okay, maybe that last bit was a little uncalled for. A little. She might have accidentally burned a bridge there, not that there was much of one to begin with. She scrubbed her hands over her face and headed back to Kotoko's room to report her findings.

Still, despite the rather sour note that their conversation ended on, Misa still looked over her shoulder as each person showed up at breakfast the next morning, hoping that it would be the non-Gamer. It never was, but she still looked. Oh, well. She pushed past her disappointment and tried to find comfort in the fact that at least Kat was sitting next to her again. He was a little quiet, his smiles not as wide, his movements a little stiff, but he was there. Safe. Bumping his shoulder against hers when she sat down next to him.

And Miyu was obviously ecstatic too, which was always nice to see. If nothing else, it made it easier for Misa to smile. And apparently, the light mood that morning had moved beyond her immediately circle to infect Hoshina as well. Surprisingly, she all but floated into the dining room. Misa caught Zettai suddenly becoming very interested in his cup of tea as soon as she entered. Huh. Interesting.

Hoshina sat down in her chair, her smile not forced in the slightest. Kotoko looked at her, bemused.

"It seems like a good morning so far?" she asked. Hoshina giggled. Misa blinked in surprise.

"Yes? I don't even know why. I think I just had a very nice dream?" she asked. Ryo immediately perked up.

"A dream? What about? Ice cream maybe?" he asked. Hoshina's face grew contemplative as she thought.

"I'm not quite sure. I can't really remember it all that well. I think that there was this awful red wallpaper with black hearts?" she said after a moment.

Zettai immediately choked on his tea, his face turning bright red as he coughed and sputtered.

"Wait, did I switch the salt and sugar? I don't think so," Kat said, just loud enough for Misa to hear.

"Are you alright, Zettai?" Sumire asked, humor clear in her voice.

"I'm fine," he said. He coughed again, trying to regain the last scraps of his dignity. He also did not even think about looking at the center of the table where Hoshina sat. Miyu caught Misa's eye.

" _What the hell?"_ she silently mouthed. Misa shrugged. She had no idea. She definitely wanted to find out, though. Hell, Zettai looked almost… embarrassed? But he never did embarrassed. It was kinda cute. Or, well, it would be if it were literally anyone else.

Breakfast continued in this lighthearted way, and Misa felt the weight that had wrapped around her chest over the past thirty-six hours slowly lift and relax. Everyone important – _almost_ everyone important – was here and safe. They were okay, at least for the moment. And she would take it. For the moment was long enough.

Slowly, everyone finished their meal and the conversation naturally died down. Misa was just about to ask Hoshina a question about her weirdly nice dream when the psychologist's eyes lit up like the stars outside.

"Shoma!" she said. As one, everyone turned to look at the doorway. Shoma stood there, obviously unhappy with the sudden burst of attention. His red headphones were still up around his ears, although they were just off-center enough so that he would be able to hear.

"Hi," he muttered. "Did I miss breakfast?"

* * *

 **So, Shoma's secret has been revealed. What do you guys think? Does this make him more suspicious or not? Or is this just an obvious death flag? If you think it's the last one, then let me know on the poll that's currently on my profile! Yep, it's getting to that time. A body is coming soon. Let me know who you think it is, Shoma or otherwise.**

 **Until next time!**


	17. Chapter Two Part V

**And here we are. Are you guys** **excited? Nervous? I'm excited. I have to figure out what the hell my truth bullets are going to be, but I'm excited. Buckle in, folks. Lots of secrets are going to fly.**

 **liammarklh88: Poor Kat has been through a lot. As has Shoma. I'm glad that everything involving him makes sense now in hindsight. I really wanted to get him right and have the reveal make sense. And yeah, a lot of people are getting a little heated. I'm sure that nothing drastic will happen at all...**

 **TheRoseShadow21: What was up with that dream? It obviously had a big impact on Zettai. It sounds like you need a _key_ to unlock that particular puzzle... XP But yeah, Kotoko was obviously not happy about learning Shoma's secret, not that I can blame her. It can be scary stuff. Hopefully it doesn't cause anyone to take matters into their own hands...**

* * *

"Technically," Zettai said with a thin smile. "Most people have finished eating."

Shoma's body posture immediately changed. It wasn't like he wasn't guarded or closed off before, because he definitely was, but it became more pronounced. Something in his eyes just immediately shut down and it pulled at something in Misa's chest.

"I was actually just about to get a second plate," she said, looking directly at the tactician. He rolled his eyes.

"Me too!" Hoshina said. "So, come and sit. And eat, please."

"Breakfast is usually for eating," Shoma said flatly. Kotoko stood and left without a single word. The look on her face was… not scary. Kotoko couldn't do scary. It simply wasn't in her nature. But it was a bit worrisome. Enough so that Miyu caught Misa's eye and nodded before following the onomastician out.

Shoma took a few hesitant steps inside and took another few, quick steps back when Rudolph came bounding up to him. "Hi! You don't know how to use the machines yet, right? I can teach you!"

"I can figure it out," Shoma told him.

Rudolph visibly deflated. "Oh. Okay."

Shoma neatly sidestepped around him and disappeared into the kitchen. Fujiko came around the other side of the table and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Satsuki followed her like a shadow. Or maybe a puppy. No, not a puppy. She wasn't enthusiastic enough for that. A kitten?

"Come on," Fujiko said. "Let's look at your art book."

"Okaaaaaaaay," Rudolph said. The three of them disappeared around the corner. Hoshina looked around at the remaining people.

"You're going to stay, right?" she asked softly. "Shoma is really making an effort here. We should encourage that."

"Yeah, 'cause Bathroom Buddy is the real encouraging type," Kat said, shrugging when Hoshina looked at him.

"It's okay. I can tell when I'm not wanted," Zettai said as he stood to leave. Sumire joined him.

"Swing by my room when you get the chance, Misa?" she asked over her shoulder at the pair left. Misa inclined her head in agreement, albeit somewhat reluctantly. She really hoped that this wouldn't be another meeting of the minds. The last one went oh so well. At any rate, she was definitely going to find Miyu before she went.

Shoma reappeared in the doorway with a bowl of cereal, faltering a little when he saw how empty the table had gotten. Hoshina smiled and patted the seat next to her. Ryo shifted down so that he could sit across from Kat, bringing his plate of breakfast sausages with him.

"Thanks," Shoma said quietly as he sat down. Awkward silence reigned for a few minutes while Shoma began eating. Kat was the one to finally break it.

"So… you finally came out of exile, huh?"

"I was hungry."

"Yeah, like you haven't had Hoshina bring food to you every day. I see through your lies!" he declared, although a crooked grin softened his words a bit. Shoma just stared at him, long enough so that Kat shifted a little in his seat.

"So that's why you and Misa are friends," he observed before turning back to his cereal.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Misa asked, defensiveness rising up in her chest. Shoma shrugged without looking up.

"You both use sarcastic humor a lot, especially to deflect or hide any questions or strong emotions that you have. Especially the bad ones. Really, it's a pretty basic trait."

"Shoma," Hoshina said softly.

"Oh! Oh! Do me next!" Ryo told him, leaning forward eagerly. "What do you think about me?" Shoma looked at him for a moment before sighing and going back to his food. "Well?"

"It's not a party trick. I don't like doing it."

"Oh…" Ryo trailed off sadly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you all puffed up about it like a puffer fish."

"A puffer fish?" Misa asked.

"Yeah! It's this fish that has all of these spines. And when it gets scared, it blows up like a balloon so that the spikes puff out!"

"Yeah, that sounds like our gamer," Kat said.

"So, Misa is an alley cat, Shoma is a puffer fish, Hoshina is one of those pretty, fluffy white cats that adopts lost kittens," Ryo said, listing off each person on a finger. "Rudolph is a puppy with perky ears and a swishy tail, Sumire is a swan – "

"Hey, what am I?" Kat interrupted. Ryo thought for a few seconds.

"A monkey. One of the ones that used to steal things from tourists."

"I… am okay with that."

"See? I know my animals!"

"It's a gift," Misa said. "Or a talent, I guess."

"No, it doesn't really have anything to do with my talent. It might help, but it's not because of it," Ryo said. "I could talk to animals before I became an ultimate."

"You can talk to animals?" Hoshina repeated. She still smiled, but it was definitely concerned. Kat nodded.

"Yeah, you didn't hear this yet?"

"That's impossible," Shoma said flatly. Ryo shook his head.

"No! It's really true! I talk to them and then they tell me useful things!"

"Don't supposed they've told you anything useful about this place?" Misa asked.

"No. The only animal I've seen is Monokuma. And he isn't very nice or friendly."

"No, he is not," Misa agreed. She turned her attention back to Shoma. The gamer/analyst looked far more involved now. But Hoshina was right. Maybe all he really needed was someone to listen to him. And maybe this would give her the chance to actually get to know him a bit. She couldn't actually ask him about his true talent right now. Well, she could, but that would be a surefire way to make him close down. Especially with other people here. But she could still learn _something_.

 **Misa:** So… what's your favorite kind of game?

 **Shoma:** What? Why?

 **Misa:** Why not? I'll tell you mine.

 **Shoma:** Because it's not important.

 **Misa:** Games are important to you, right?

 **Shoma:** Well, yeah. The Ultimate Gamer – the real or good one – is someone I try to be.

 **Misa:** Oh, you mean Chiaki Nanami?

 **Shoma:** Yeah. She's a good person to pretend to be.

 **Misa:** So, then what games did she like?

 **Shoma:** What do you think? She liked everything. Except for dating games.

 **Misa:** Aw, those are my favorite.

 **Shoma:** Seriously?

 **Misa:** Yep! They're fun! I get to pretend to be someone else and have someone handsome and charming sweep me off my feet.

 **Shoma:** It's an awful genre.

 **Misa:** Wow. Tell me how you really feel.

 **Shoma:** It just turns people into systems to be exploited. It's… bad. And boring. They're all the same.

 **Misa:** Not all of them. Sometimes the sadist, coldhearted bastard is one person, but sometimes they split up those traits so that it's two people instead. One sadist, one closed off.

 **Shoma:** Yeah, that explains a lot.

 **Misa:** What does that mean?

 **Shoma:** Nothing. Just explains how you can tolerate certain people here.

* * *

 **Shoma's Profile: Entry One**

Shoma doesn't have a favorite game, since that's unimportant. However, he does have a favorite person, or at least someone that he's trying to be like: Chiaki Nanami, the actual Ultimate Gamer from before the Tragedy. Like her, he hates dating games or simulators.

* * *

Hoshina watched the pair of them talk out of the corner of her eye, even as she distracted Kat and Ryo with meaningless small talk about what animals everyone else were. There was currently a rather heated debate over Zettai's identity. Was he a hawk or a vampire bat? Shoma immediately chimed in with vampire bat, but that may have been his bias showing. It wasn't like those two were exactly friends.

Breakfast broke up not long after that. Shoma caught Misa at the door, though, and waiting until everyone else left before he started speaking,

"I have your secret," he said before shrugging. "Thought you'd like to know."

Misa took a deep, steadying breath. "What makes you sure it's mine?" she asked, proud when her voice didn't shaky like her hands did. Shoma shrugged again.

"Hoshina talks to me. I know some things. You're the only one who would fit." He pulled out his Monopad, tapped a few buttons, and handed it to her.

 **I'M SOMETIMES SCARED OF MY PARTNER**

The words stared up at Misa with damning clarity. She forcibly reminded herself to relax her grip on the Monopad before handing it back.

"Nope. Not me," she said.

Shoma stared at her intently. "You're the only one who has talked about having a partner."

"Yeah, but I'm not scared of him!" she all but yelled. "He is my _partner_. Sorry, but you made a mistake."

"I don't make mistakes."

"Listen, I trust my partner absolutely. Without a second of hesitation because I know that he will always be there for me. Look out for me."

"Even if that means doing something that you don't like?" Shoma asked. He sounded genuinely curious, but Misa couldn't help but feel like it was some kind of trap. Tetsu's face flashed through her mind, how hard and cold his eyes would get when he saw that she was hurt or in pain.

"Like I said. I trust him."

"Well, if this is your secret, then Monokuma must be taking some liberties," Shoma said. Misa nodded, incredibly relieved that the topic seemed to be shifting.

"Yeah, Kat's wasn't entirely truthful either. He's twisting them so that they seem worse than they really are."

"Not with mine."

"Yeah, well, he doesn't need to."

Shoma sighed. "You might want to tell the others. It could help things."

"What?" Misa asked. "My secret? Yours?"

"So it is your secret." Misa glared at him. "I meant Monokuma twisting things."

"Oh. Yeah, that's probably a good idea," she said.

Shoma nodded slowly. "That's all. Have fun in your meeting."

Yeah, like that would be possible. At least she managed to find Miyu and drag her to this shit show. It was the usual suspects at their usual places: Misa and Miyu on the bed, Sumire at her desk, and Zettai leaning against the wall like some kind of snooty high fashion model.

"My, my, it's nice to have everyone here," Sumire said, bringing the meeting to a start. "Obviously, we need to talk about the motives. I would like to start."

"Sure. You're the one who someone wants to kill," Miyu said.

"It's Ryuu," Sumire said stiffly. "I asked him about it yesterday. Misa can corroborate." Misa nodded when the other two looked at her. "Apparently, he feels like I betrayed him."

"You did kinda ditch him in front of everyone," Misa pointed out.

"That's still no reason to kill someone!" Miyu said.

"Relax, I doubt that Ryuu will do it." Zettai shook his head. "He doesn't have the resolve to actually carry through."

"Regardless, I don't think I'm in any danger," Sumire said like that wasn't the kiss of death. "Now that his secret is out, it'll be too obvious."

"Unless someone decides to capitalize on it and try to pin the blame on him," Misa said. Again, everyone turned to look at her. "What? It's not a bad strategy." Zettai thought about it before eventually making a soft noise of agreement.

"Sounds like you want to watch your back, Sumire," he said, the ghost of a smile on his face. Sumire smoothed out her skirt, her expression unreadable.

"Perhaps."

"Okay, this is well and good, but can we talk about the secret that I have?" Miyu asked. Misa looked at Zettai, who was very carefully not looking at her. "Someone caused Itami's death. Tsuyoshi's too! That's not okay!"

"What was the exact wording?" Sumire asked.

"I orchestrated Itami's death," Zettai said, his voice completely steady. It was impressive, really, how little he gave away. "Is that right?" Miyu flinched but nodded. "That sounds like a mastermind of some kind."

Really? Was he really going to do this? Right now? Shit, was she supposed to play along? Say that the secret belonging to the mastermind was impossible? What? And of course, he wouldn't even look at her to try and give her some direction.

"You mean the person behind Monokuma? It's possible, I suppose," Sumire said thoughtfully. "But why would they reveal their hand so soon?"

Screw it. She was agreeing with Sumire. "Yeah. It's a pretty easy process of elimination if we actually sat down and got everyone's secrets."

"I don't care who it is, what their role is. If they really did orchestrate anything, then they're a murderer," Miyu said. "And we know what happens to murderers here."

Misa turned to look at her, her mouth falling open. "Are you saying that you want to kill him?"

Miyu didn't answer. Not good. Definitely not good.

"Putting that to the side for the moment, we should figure out who this person is," Sumire said. "If nothing else, they're dangerous."

"Definitely is," Misa said quietly. Zettai looked at her for a moment before turning his attention back to Sumire.

"Well, excluding present company for obvious reason, who could it be? Shoma?"

"Why Shoma?" Miyu asked. "Has he even been out of his room for long enough to do that?"

"I already know his secret. It's not him," Misa told them. Sumire perked up.

"What is it?"

"I… he's lying about his talent. You want more info, ask him or Hoshina." There. Not a bad compromise. She didn't exactly tell them outright, but she didn't lie either. She could be okay with that. Mostly. "Honestly, present company is who I would peg to do it," she continued. "Well, minus the people on the bed, of course."

"Of course," Zettai echoed, arching his brow. Misa grinned. Sumire laughed quietly.

"Fair enough," she said. "I honestly don't know who has my secret or what it could be, but I know that it's not that."

"What secret do you have?" Zettai asked.

"Oh, what was it? I lied about my greatest creation. Something like that."

Miyu's face turned sympathetic. "That almost sounds like Shouko. Who else would create things?"

"Rudolph?" Misa suggested.

"But still. To be under so much pressure that you would lie about it," Miyu said. "That must be hard."

"It can be," Sumire said softly. For a moment, her mind was clearly elsewhere. But she shook it quickly and returned to the present. "Misa, didn't yours deal with the Black Doves?"

Misa hesitated. "Yeah, I already talked to them. The secret was wrong. They had left the organization once it went radical."

"Who was it?" Miyu asked. Zettai scoffed.

"You mean besides the boy with an obvious bird tattoo?" he asked dryly. Misa closed her eyes but nodded. "And you're sure that little Kit Kat is telling the truth?"

"Oh, shut up," Misa told him. "Yes, I'm sure." She was kinda sure. She wanted to be sure. That was the same thing, right? It was good enough, at least. And they didn't need to know that she was a distrustful bitch. She was trying to trust him. That was good enough.

"Maybe they're the ones who are doing this," Miyu said. "The Black Doves. Torture us and kidnap us and make us kill to make some kind of sick point. Especially if Kat left and they want to make an example of him."

"But we run into the same issue with the mastermind. Why would they reveal themselves? We hadn't even thought about them before," Sumire said.

"Unless they're so arrogant that they don't think that we can actually hurt them," Zettai said, which totally brightened the mood of the room.

And then Misa just brightened it up even further by adding on, "We can't." Miyu shifted over slightly so that their shoulders could touch. Misa leaned in slightly at the contact.

"And on that note, I guess I should say what I have," Zettai said. He pulled out his Monopad and read, "I'm the reason why my sister got sick." Next to her, Miyu completely froze as the color drained out of her face. "And now we know who I have."

Misa lightly bumped Miyu with her shoulder. Miyu took a stuttering breath. "It wasn't my fault," she whispered. "I promise."

"My, my, that's convincing," Sumire said lightly. Misa shot her a dirty look. To her credit, Sumire didn't look away.

"You don't have to say anything else," Misa told her, daring anyone to disagree. Zettai held up his hands in surrender. Miyu nodded mutely. "Is there anything else that we need to talk about?"

"Shouko," Zettai said. "She's always been bad, but lately she's worse than usual. Especially with the nonsense with Kat."

"It's not like anyone likes dealing with her," Sumire said. "She's been mostly hiding anyway."

"Yes, because people suddenly hiding ended so well last time," Zettai said with an insincere smile. Misa sighed, already hating the words about the come out of her mouth.

"Fine, I'll talk to her," she said. "She mostly tolerates me. I'll figure out where her headspace is at."

"Thank you, Misa. That will… be very helpful," Sumire said. "I think that's everything then?"

"Oh, wait, should we talk about the fact that I'm not allowed to participate in the trial?" Misa asked. "Because that kinda sucks."

"Oh, yes, Monokuma tried to do the same to me," Zettai said.

"What?!" Misa yelled. Miyu flinched. "And you thought this wasn't important to mention!"

Zettai valiantly held back an eye roll. "Hush. I didn't agree to it."

"You didn't?" Did he really not care about whatever Monokuma threatened? Holy shit, this cold-hearted bastard. Zettai shrugged.

"It was a bluff. There's no way that he could follow through."

At that exact moment, his Monopad chimed. Misa and Miyu immediately looked up at the ceiling where the ever present camera was watching them.

"My, my, you can't say that the bear doesn't lack for dramatic timing," Sumire said, even as her smile and eyes went tight. Zettai tried to grin, but it was shaky and fragile. "You might as well look at it."

And so he did. He didn't show anyone else what was there. There was no sound, nothing that could give Misa any indication of the content. But she could watch Zettai's face, how it hardened into a blank mask even as his eyes burned with fury.

"I will not be participating in the trial," he said emotionlessly. "My apologies."

"Nothing to apologize for. I get it," Misa said. His gaze flicked to her for a moment before returning to whatever proof Monokuma had given him.

"It's okay, we can adjust for this," Sumire said. "Assuming that no one else has been removed from play." She sighed. "Any other matters?" No one spoke up. "Then we're good. Excellent meeting, everyone."

Zettai hung back as Misa and Miyu went back out into the hall. The genetic engineer was still shaking. "I'm going to… go upstairs," she said softly.

"Miyu."

She ignored her and continued walking. Misa's heart sank, which was stupid and unnecessary and did she mention stupid? She shook her head with a soft grumble and scrubbed her hands over her face. Shit. Now she had to go and talk to the mad Doktor. Not that it was hard to find her. She could hear her declarations of superiority from here. What poor sap did she corner this time?

Misa slowly, reluctantly headed into the science lab. Shouko stood in front of a table covered in various mechanical parts. Rudolph sat not far away, scribbling away in his notebook while Ryo watched her, obviously entranced.

"Das, minions, is why I, Doktor Shouko Sakamura, has the greatest mind on the Ship! My robot army shall conquer whatever planet we wish! God himself could not stop us!" She pointed dramatically at the ceiling.

"Sounds like something out of a science fiction horror movie," Rudolph said, still writing furiously. "Especially if your creations turn on you!"

"Ha! That shall never happen! My genius is too great to allow such foolishness!"

"Wow," Ryo said. The awe in his voice was unmistakable, and Shouko preened underneath it.

"This sounds like a fun conversation," Misa said, steeling herself to step further into the room. Ryo and Rudolph, at least, looked incredibly happy to see her. Shouko sniffed but still bowed her head in greeting.

"Underling. I see even you have been drawn by my brilliance."

"Like a moth to a flame," Misa deadpanned. She wandered over to the table, eyes shifting through the various pieces. Shouko was obviously building some kind of device, even if she couldn't tell exactly what it was.

"Doktor Sakamura was telling us about her inventions!" Ryo said, bounding over to join her.

"It's been very inspiring," Rudolph added.

"Oh, yeah? Are there going to be killer robots in my story now?"

"Das ist Wurst. Mein robots have never harmed anyone," Shouko said, crossing her arms in front of her. Misa looked at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Seem like a kinda shitty army then," she said mildly.

"Du disrespect my genius?"

Maybe a little. Still, Misa shook her head. "No, no, sorry. Just making an observation." Shouko huffed. She looked up at her. "You seem a little tense."

"Ja," Shouko admitted after a moment.

"Of course she is," Rudolph said. "The motive is scary. It's making everyone tense."

"Some of the secrets are really mean," Ryo added. And there was her opening.

"Do you guys know what your secrets could be?" she asked, definitely sounding absolutely, totally innocent. Both boys shook their heads.

"I haven't really done anything," Rudolph said. "I'm a good person!"

"Me too," Ryo said. "I really can't think of anything that would be bad enough for Monokuma to pick."

Misa looked expectantly at Shouko. "Any secrets that demon has are lies."

"Funny you should say that," Misa said slowly. "Because I think I know what your secret is."

"Silence, underling."

"You don't want to know what it is?"

"I said, silence!" Her face was flushed red as she yelled. Her accent didn't waver. Both Rudolph and Ryo shrank away, but Misa stood her ground.

"You lied, didn't you? About your army actually being an army. About your greatest creation, assuming those aren't the same things," Misa said, watching Shouko's face carefully. There was no mistaking the fear shining behind her glasses. Anger too, sure, but it was mostly fear. "A secret like that would destroy you, wouldn't it?"

"I – " her voice broke on that word.

"People already know, so it's no use killing over it," Misa told her. Ryo gasped. Misa ignored him. "Not saying that you would. But…"

"Excuse me, _minion_ , but I shall go somewhere I am not threatened or abused," Shouko said, her voice carrying a pale shadow of its former imperiousness. Misa let her leave without another word and sighed. Exhaustion hit her in a wave as she slowly sank down onto a nearby stool.

"That went well," she muttered.

"Misa?" Rudolph asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"It's okay, Rudolph. Cats never like to show when they're hurt. It's too dangerous and scary."

Yeah, okay, fuck this conversation. "I'm going to go eat. Have fun boys."

"Oh, okay!"

Misa returned Ryo's very enthusiastic wave and ducked out of the science lab. It felt like it's getting later, maybe almost time for dinner. That more than anything propelled her forward towards the dining room. Of course, it's situated directly across from her in the circle, but that just gives her an excuse to swing by and check on her guns. She had forgotten to this morning, and honestly hadn't had a moment to do so since.

Ugh, she hated busy days like this. They always came at the exact moment when Misa wanted nothing more than to just lounge around and do nothing but nap and eat fried food and maybe watch eight hours of TV if she was feeling ambitious.

Stupid motive. That's the only thing stopping her from doing that. Well, that and the lack of something to watch TV on.

Misa poked her head through the door just far enough so that she could see her guns. She froze, chest constricting painfully, stealing her breath away as the bottom of her stomach dropped to her toes.

"Fuck!"

Her knees buckled underneath her for the first three steps as she lurched down the hallway. Shit, shit, shit, shit, fucking fuck.

Nobody by the elevator.

Okay, next room. The longue. Please be someone there. Someone living. No, stop that. Everyone was still alive. She hadn't heard anything yet. That was a good sign.

Misa held onto that idea like a lifeline as she stumbled into the lounge. It was empty except for Shoma and Zettai, who sat on the couches with a chessboard between them. The missing black rook had been replaced with a black checker piece. Misa dimly registered that Shoma was losing, badly.

Zettai took one look at Misa's face and immediately began to stand up. "What is it?" he asked.

"They're gone."

"What are?"

"My guns. Someone has my guns."

Shoma stood up as well, his shoulders hunched. Zettai nodded once. "When?" he asked, already moving towards the door.

"I – I don't know. I didn't check this morning. So some time to – "

Misa was interrupted by a bang directly above their heads, muffled but loud. All three of them held their breath, waiting for a second bang to follow. Misa stared up at the ceiling.

"Time for a trial. How fun," Shoma muttered.

"No. Upstairs!" Misa said, shaking herself out of her stupor. They could still be alive. Guns were hard to get right, especially if this was your first time using one. And there was only one shot. Maybe they missed. Maybe they didn't hit a lethal spot.

She sprinted to the elevator, Zettai close behind her. Shoma just walked, unhurried and uncaring. She slammed the call button and groaned when the doors didn't immediately open. "Come on, hurry up!"

Misa looked up at the sound of running. Kat burst around the left-hand corner, Ryo and Rudolph close behind.

"Solo, gunshot!"

"We heard," Zettai told him.

"Is there really going to be another murder?" Rudolph asked. One look at him confirmed that he was already at the brink of tears. Ryo looked at Misa with wide eyes, waiting for an answer.

"It already happened." Oh, so Shoma decided to finally join them. How nice.

"Where the fuck is this elevator?" Misa asked, hitting the button again. It should have arrived at least a couple of seconds ago.

"I don't want another murder! I thought that we were friends! The secrets weren't that bad, were they?" Rudolph asked. Zettai looked at him like he had the mental capacity of a two year old. Or, you know, the same way that he looked at Ryo.

"Your secret literally involved someone wanting to kill Sumire," he said.

"Yeah, but wanting and doing are different. Right?"

"Where is Chess Queen?" Kat asked, looking around.

Ryo gasped. "No! You don't think…?"

"We'll see once this stupid elevator decides to fucking work," Misa said sternly, shooting a warning look at Kat when he opened his mouth. Seriously, this was taking way too long. The forced wait gave her mind time to wander, time to consider what Kat said. There were a lot of people who were missing. Were they just upstairs? Did they not realize what they heard?

"Da fuck is the ruckus about?" Ryuu demanded, coming from the right. He rubbed his temple like he had some kind of headache.

"Did you really not hear the gunshot?" Misa asked him. The bounty hunter immediately sobered.

"Nah, thought something heavy fell over or somthin'."

"Kinda hard to mistake a gunshot, Ape Face."

"What did ya say?"

"You heard me."

"Da fuck am I suppose to know?"

"You're the one who walks around with a gun holster!" Kat said, gesturing sharply to the said, empty holster wrapped around Ryuu's waist. Misa watched Shoma out of the corner of her eye slowly back away as their voices steadily got louder. Zettai sighed next to her.

"Why couldn't one of them been shot?" he muttered. Misa glared at him. "With preference for Ryuu, obviously."

"Uh huh."

Finally, the elevator doors dinged and slid open, silencing any further argument. It was like the reality of what had probably just happened fully settled in at that moment. At least, it did for Misa. She had been a bundle of nerves and stress and pounding heartbeats, but the moment the doors opened, all she felt was calm, cool clarity.

She had done this once already. And even if she couldn't actively participate in the trial, she could do it again. Easy.

She stepped forward into the elevator, and everyone wordlessly piled in after her. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but they all fit. Shoma, pressed up against one of the walls, hit the button for the second floor. It took less than fifteen seconds for them to reach the top and for the doors to slide open once more.

"Oh, thank God," Miyu breathed as soon as she saw Misa. She took a few, small steps forward, relief shining clear on her face. It only doubled in strength when she saw Kat step out of the elevator as well.

Fujiko, Hoshina and Kotoko were all huddled around the door to the observatory, Fujiko repeatedly rattling the handle.

"The door won't budge!" she explained. Her eyes roamed over the new arrivals. "Wait, where's Satsuki? Is she not with you?" Panic made Fujiko's pitch skyrocket.

"And Sumire isn't here either?" Zettai demanded.

"No," Hoshina said slowly. She had walked over to stand beside Shoma. "We were talking, but she left a few minutes before the bang." Zettai frowned and looked away.

"So, what's up with the door?" Misa asked. "It's locked?"

"Or jammed. Sorry, we don't know," Kotoko said. Misa nodded. Okay. Okay. They needed a way in.

"Move, kid," Ryuu said, roughly pushing past Misa. "I can kick it down." Fujiko immediately took a couple of large steps away. He squared up to the door and, after a moment, kicked it dead center. Wood splintered from the sides as the door as it swung open.

"Hope that isn't vandalism," Miyu said.

"Too late now," Misa told her with a shrug.

"Fucking hell."

Ryuu stood a few feet inside of the room, staring in the direction of the window. Lead suddenly filled Misa's boots, but she forced herself forward, especially since no one else seemed all that eager to see. Miyu reached out blindly for Misa's hand, squeezing it tight as she followed directly on her heels. They joined Ryuu. Miyu gave a small, soft cry as Misa squeezed her eyes shut. But that did nothing to remove the image from her mind.

The lights in the room were off, leaving only the passing stars to illuminate the ghastly scene. There was a large, mostly circular spray of blood on the window, complete with chunks of brain and skull and hair. The body lay crumpled in a heap in front of the window, one of the missing guns in one hand. A gunshot wound in the temple told the rest of the story, even as its matching pair poured more blood onto the floor. There was no way someone could survive something like that.

 _Shouko Sakamura, the Ultimate Robotics Engineer, was dead._

* * *

 **And thus, we say goodbye to the mad, not-German** **Doktor. Now, the real question is: who did the deed? The poll is up on my profile. If you want to wait until the investigation to make your guess, that works too. I can understand wanting all of the information.**

 **Until next time!**


	18. Chapter Two Part VI

**So, you might not have noticed yet, but we have officially crossed 100k words on this story. I'm honestly floored. I never expected that to happen this quickly, or that I would still be so passionate and excited about this story once it did. So thank you for sticking with me and my nonsense for so long. Here's to at least another 100k more!**

 **liammarklh88: Sadly, I did not get the reference. I feel like I should have, but I did not. I'm glad that Shouko's death was not a complete surprise! I was having trouble foreshadowing, so I'm glad that it came through!**

 **TheRoseShadow21: It was fairly tense, wasn't it? I'm curious to see who you think the killer could be!**

 **alucard** **deathsinger: I am so glad that somebody finally got that! XP Interesting theory with the two partners. Misa seems to disagree, but we'll see if you're right!**

 **TheUbermenschWriter: Shouko was definitely a blast to write. I'm sad to see her go, but it was her time. And thanks for the feedback on the nitpick. I hadn't considered that and will try to tweak how I do things moving forward!**

 **Shirasaur: Excited and terrified is good! Especially when you have murderers and guns in the mix! XD And yeah, Shoma has some interesting depths to him. It seems like a lot of people didn't see the Chiaki connection coming.**

 **Lupus Overkill: Don't worry about spotty reviews! I'm just really glad that you're enjoying this story! :) I always have a ton of fun writing the "meeting of minds." They're a fun dynamic to pick at. And again, I'm glad that Shook foreshadowing came through! Even if there was some Sumire foreshadowing in there as well. XP**

* * *

 _ **Ding dong, Bing bong**_

"A body has been discovered! You two slowpokes better report to the observatory immediately!"

Monokuma giggled before clicking off the announcement. Shouko truly was dead then. Not that there was any real possibility of her being alive with a freaking hole in her head but… still. The Iron Maiden was dead, her crazed, supposed genius snuffed out. And in the observatory too, the one room that Misa had claimed as a sanctuary, some place safe where she could look out and think and be at peace, the one room where nearly everyone had gathered not that long ago to scream and howl and vent in a way that seemed to almost tie their souls together in the moment and somebody took this space and desecrated it. And they did that with Misa's guns, her babies, the only things that ever made her feel truly safe and powerful and strong and protected and somebody used them to do this instead. Something sick and slick and bitter churned in her chest, rising up from her core, tinting the edges of her vision black and red and –

Misa looked down at her hand. Miyu still had a death grip on it, well past the point of pain. It wasn't unwelcome, though. The pain gave Misa something present and real to latch onto instead of following the dark, swirling mess in her head to its inevitable conclusion. The wave retreated. For the moment.

Slowly, everyone filtered into the room. Someone must have turned on the lights as they entered because they suddenly flickered on, showing Shouko's body in all of its gruesome detail. Ryo and Rudolph stuck together. To Misa's surprise, neither of them were crying yet. Kat hovered near the doorway with Fujiko. He stared resolutely at the floor, mouth moving silently in prayer. Fujiko kept looking back into the hall. Hoshina and Shoma stood towards the back of the room, her face deathly pale and his carefully disinterested. Kotoko was nearby. The onomastician looked more numb than anything else. Ryuu just stared at Shouko's body. Unblinking. Unmoving. He just stared.

And Zettai slid right up to the other side of Misa, his expression curious. "Huh. I wasn't expecting it to be her," he said.

"Oh, just shut up," Fujiko told him.

"Who ya expectin,' kid?" Ryuu asked without looking away from Shouko. Zettai shrugged.

"Our resident chess master, if we're being honest. Though, I suppose I could still be right. The killer is allowed to take two, after all."

"I said shut up!" Fujiko yelled. But her voice wasn't laced with anger. It was fear. Unmistakable fear. Satsuki wasn't here yet either.

"Just stating possibilities," Zettai said, as pleasant and unruffled as could be. Misa looked at him flatly. "Please. I can't be the only one who's considered the possibility before."

"Relax," Shoma said quietly. Everyone but Ryuu turned to look at him. He shrunk away, shuffling a half step closer to Hoshina. "Monokuma mentioned two people in his announcement. They're both fine." Zettai huffed and rolled his eyes. Shoma frowned. "Besides," he added, "two murders is ridiculous. It only doubles the possibility of screwing up and leaving behind evidence. Only an idiot wouldn't have realized that beforehand."

Yeah, like they didn't have numerous idiots in the group. Thankfully though, the elevator chimed in the hall and both Sumire and Satsuki appeared in the doorway completely unharmed if not a little frazzled. Fujiko immediately tackled Satsuki into a hug. The astronomer yelped quietly in surprised, but returned it after a brief moment.

"My, my, seems like I missed some kind of memo," Sumire said with a smile that did not reach her eyes. She scanned the room and immediately sobered when she saw Shouko. "I see."

"Wow. You guys are taking this like champs. I was expecting more despairing denials!"

Misa suppressed a shudder and looked towards the source of the unmistakable voice. Monokuma lounged on one of the chairs in the corner. He must have come in when everyone else was paying attention to Sumire and Satsuki, but that still didn't explain _where_ exactly he came from. Stupid, psychotic, teleporting teddy bear.

"No, bear's honest truth! I'm impressed with you guys," Monokuma continued. His red eye glowed brighter. "You're so… boring. Here you have the most despairing death I can think of, and you don't even care! Kids these days. You're just not as empathetic as you used to be! Bunch of cold-hearted bastards is what you are."

"Hey! We care!" Kat protested.

"Then where are the tears? The hysterics?" Monokuma sighed and shook his head. "You're going to force me to do something baaaaaaaaaad!"

The usual suspects immediately started yelling.

"No!" Rudolph cried out, his lower lip trembling. "Just leave us alone!"

"Stop scaring my friend, meanie!" Ryo added, puffing out his chest in an attempt to look larger.

"But we haven't broken any rules!" Kotoko said. "I'm sorry, but we haven't!"

"Bring it on!" Fujiko declared, even as Satsuki tugged on her arm in an attempt to keep her quiet. "I'm not scared of you!"

"It's okay. Everyone, please, calm down!" Hoshina's head was on a swivel. There were three different groupings of people who needed her help, her protection, but indecisiveness and fear kept her rooted in her spot.

Monokuma smiled slightly as he silently looked out over the entire group. His red eye glowed even brighter still when his gaze finally landed on Misa's group in the center, specifically on the still clasped hands between her and Miyu. She immediately let go, as if she had been burned. Monokuma's smile widened into a grin.

"Upupupupup! Much better!" he said as he bounced off of the couch and onto his feet. "Well, you know the drill by now! Once I get bored of watching you all scurry around like bugs, I'll call a class trial! Gather evidence so that you can battle with all of the hope and despair at your disposal!" He held up a pile of thin, grey tablets. "And, thanks to my generosity, the famous Monokuma Files to get you started! Well… most of you."

Misa went cold. The deal she made with Monokuma. She couldn't even investigate now? What else was she supposed to do? Just sit by and hope that everyone else could figure it out? No one even wanted to go by the body last time!

"That wasn't our deal," Zettai said, straightening his posture so that he could look down his nose at that awful bear. "I, and I assume Misa, are unable to participate in the trial. You said so yourself, the trial hasn't been called yet."

"What is he talking about, Solo?"

Misa glanced at him before forcing a grin onto her face. "Like he said. Bathroom Buddy and I can't help you guys this time."

"Well, why not?" Kat asked.

"That's not important," Zettai said before she could even open her mouth. "I'm waiting for an answer, Monokuma."

"Ugh, fine," the bear groaned. He held up one paw menacingly. "But I don't want to hear one peep out of either of you once we get started, clear?"

Yeah, like Misa could just leave it like that. "Well, what if someone asks me a direct question? Or if someone decides to accuse Zettai of murder? Can I answer and Zettai defend himself?"

"Doesn't seem like it would be very fair otherwise," Miyu said thoughtfully, her calm voice completely different from the tight, nervous energy thrumming through her body.

"I agree," Sumire said.

Shoma nodded. "Yeah." His voice was quiet, but it was definitely there, even if he couldn't look at Monokuma as he said it. But those three were enough to kick off a round of agreements from everyone else, even if some of them were quiet, hesitant, or came with an uncaring shrug.

"Ungrateful bastards. Fine! That's allowed!" Monokuma threw his paws up in the air in frustration. "Anything else?"

"Ya, I got a question," Ryuu said.

Monokuma grumbled something intelligible under his breath. "What?"

"What if the crazy bitch offed herself?"

"Suicide?" Hoshina echoed, her face scrunching up in concern. Ryuu shrugged.

"Gun to the head. Pretty fuckin' obvious, kid."

"Yes, but – "

Monokuma cut off her response. "Still a murder! Your job is still the same. Find the killer and vote for them. If you get it right, then I get to punish them."

"How would you punish a corpse?" Kat asked, scratching the side of his head. "Wait, I shouldn't have asked that."

Monokuma covered his mouth with his paws and started giggling. It slowly turned into a cackle, which continued even after he hopped behind the couch and disappeared. Misa took a deep breath and scrubbed her hands over her face.

Right.

Okay.

One thing at a time.

Investigate first. Then worry about the trial. She looked back down at Shouko's body. Sure, she never really liked the girl, but she still didn't deserve this. And if it really was suicide then… Misa shook her head. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.

She was about to walk over to where the Monokuma Files were when she spotted Shoma trying to slink out of the room out of the corner of her eye. Misa immediately turned on her heel and made a beeline straight for him.

"Where are you going?" she asked, neatly stepping in front of the gamer. Analyst. Whatever. Shoma ducked his head, his shoulder scrunched up around his ears.

"Back to my room," he muttered. "You don't need my help."

"Um, yes? We do?" You did hear us, right? We're not playing with a full trial team here. I need someone to lead it since I can't."

"Someone else will step up. Probably Miyu. Or Sumire."

Misa tilted her head to the side. "Thought you didn't trust Sumire's supposed intellect."

Shoma lifted his head just enough to glare at her. "Then what's your argument against Miyu? You obviously trust her a lot."

"She's pretty. There's a difference," Misa said, even as the words tasted bitter on her tongue and made her throat constrict. Shoma shook his head. "I need your skills. Analyze this place and figure out what the hell happened."

"No."

"Why not? And don't give me this Junko shit."

"It's not shit! It's important, and I can't risk it! I won't!" Shoma had been growing steadily louder throughout their argument, but that last sentence was loud enough to get almost everyone's attention. Hoshina joined them with quick, efficient steps as Zettai and Kotoko watched unhappily from afar. The psychologist took a moment to affix a gentle smile on her face.

"Is everything alright? Well, as alright as possible given the circumstances?"

"No, they're not," Misa snapped. "He wants to ditch us. Again."

"It's better for everyone," Shoma said.

"I thought we were pass this fucking cowardice."

"Misa!" Hoshina said with surprising sharpness. Misa blinked a few times before she could formulate a response.

"What? He came out to breakfast? Why is this any different at all whatsoever?"

"It is completely different. It's a huge step to force someone to take. You know that."

"Well, obviously I don't or we wouldn't be having this conversation." She turned her attention away from Hoshina. "Remember what I said earlier? The secret's coming out this trial, one way or another." Shoma looked away.

"Then I will vouch for him, like I have been doing," Hoshina said firmly.

"Yeah, how's that going with Kotoko?" Misa asked, raising her eyebrows when Hoshina's face tinted pink.

"You keep acting like this, someone will kill you," Shoma finally said, meeting Misa's eyes and staring right down into her very core. Misa grinned.

"Death is for other people. Not me."

And for a second, Shoma might have smiled at that. But if he did, then the smile was gone as quickly as it appeared. "Fine, but I don't know how much help I'll be."

"I can stay with you," Hoshina told him. Shoma nodded. "Okay. Just let me know if this all becomes too much."

Warm satisfaction bloomed in Misa's chest as she moved away to give the pair some privacy. Almost all of the Monokuma Files were gone by now. Everyone else had already started investigating. She took a deep breath and grabbed one for herself. Okay then. Let's go this.

* * *

 **INVESTIGATION**

 **START!**

* * *

The Monokuma File awakened with a soft hum. Just like last time, the screen showed a black and white outline of the victim's body. There were two, small, pink splotches of color, one on either side of Shouko's head. So, the bullet went all the way through and came out the other side. Good to know. She scrolled down a bit.

 _The victim is Shouko Sakamura, the Ultimate Robotic Engineer. Time of death was 6:30 pm. The body was discovered minutes afterwards. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head by a small caliber weapon. There is stippling around the wound. There are no other injuries._

Wow. This one felt a lot more complete than Tsuyoshi's had been. They got time of death, time of discovery, even specifics on what kind of gun killed her. Why was there such a significant difference? Misa shook her head. Whatever reason, it wasn't important right now. They could figure that out later.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Monokuma File #2**

* * *

What next? Misa looked around. Everyone seemed calmer, almost a bit more comfortable this time around. There wasn't anyone just standing around looking lost or shell-shocked. She would have almost felt proud, if not for the obviously uncomfortable truth that no one at their age should be all that comfortable around a murder scene. Herself excluded, of course.

But despite this new comfort, there was still a fairly large ring around the body. Nobody wanted to get too close. The only exception was Ryuu, who was crouched over the body. Misa held in a sigh and joined him. He didn't hear her approach and jumped a little when she knelt down in his line of sight, careful to avoid the blood.

"Hope you don't mind if I join," she told him. He grunted. "Good talk." She leaned over closer to get a closer look at Shouko's head. A very different head flashed through Misa's mind, one that had a crooked smile that made his eyes sparkle and thick hair that she used to love to curl around her fingers as they kissed. She swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat, blinking quickly to banish the image.

Like the Monokuma File said, she definitely died from a small caliber gunshot. At least it would have been over quickly. Misa frowned and leaned over even closer. Oh yeah, the Monokuma File had mentioned that too.

"Da fuck you doin,' kid? Sniffing her?" Ryuu asked.

"Shouko was shot at very close range," she said.

"What?"

Misa pointed to the ring of black circling the room. "Stippling. It's like all the hot stuff that goes out of the gun with the bullet. Leaves a pattern if the gun is close enough when it goes off."

"Know what fucking stippling is," the bounty hunter muttered to himself.

"I'm sure you do," Misa said as she gingerly lifted Shouko's head. The matching exit wound looked like it was just a bit lower on her face than the entrance wound.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Gunshot Wound**

* * *

"Telling ya, fucking offed herself," Ryuu said as he began going through the robotic engineer's pockets. Misa inclined her head slightly. Maybe. "Secret must have been real bad."

"You think she killed herself because of the motive?" she asked. Ryuu nodded.

"Ya got a better idea?"

"Someone killed her because she had their secret?" Misa offered after a moment's thought.

"Like my idea better, kid."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Secrets**

* * *

Misa frowned. Okay, that was a new sound. Usually her Monopad buzzed when she found a new truth bullet. But this was a quiet chime. She quickly pulled up the truth bullets page. Incomplete? What the hell? She clicked on the tab to pull up the entire description and her heart just decided to stop for a few beats.

" _Monokuma gave each Ultimate a random secret. There was no indication whose secret you got."_

That part was fine. That was just the normal description of what the truth bullet actually was. It was what was underneath that short blurb that scared her.

" _Shoma has ?'s secret: I'm sometimes scared of my partner._

 _Zettai has ?'s secret: I'm the reason why my sister got sick._

 _Rudolph has ?'s secret: I want to kill Sumire._

 _Kat has ?'s secret: I hate my siblings for leaving me behind with my parents._

 _Ryuu has ?'s secret: I know that my dream is impossible._

 _Ryo has ?'s secret: I'm scared all my friends will die and leave me alone._

 _Miyu has ?'s secret: I orchestrated Itami's death._

 _Kotoko has ?'s secret: I'm the Ultimate Analyst._

 _Misa has ?'s secret: I'm a member of the Black Doves._

 _Fujiko has ?'s secret: I wish I didn't isolate myself so much._

 _Satsuki has ?'s secret: I know that I'm a little weird, and wish that I wasn't._

 _Hoshina has ?'s secret: I can feel my sanity slipping._

 _Shouko has ?'s secret: I'm scared I'll be like my father._

 _Sumire has ?'s secret: I lied about my greatest creation."_

Everyone was listed. The intent here was obvious. They needed to discover who each secret belonged to if they had any hope of figuring this murder out. That was the only real answer, unless Monokuma just gave them a pointless truth bullet.

Her eyes scanned down the list.

" _Miyu has ?'s secret: I orchestrated Itami's death."_

It was going to come out. Zettai was screwed. And normally, this would be cause for celebration, but what about her? What if he tried to drag her down with him, burn their supposed partnership to the ground out of spite and anger? Did she have a plan for that? Did she need one? Where the fuck was that stupid tactician anyway? They needed to talk.

"Ya okay, kid? Look like ya seen a ghost."

"The fuck do you care?" she growled. Ryuu smirked.

"Got Shouko's secret," he said, holding up her Monopad.

"Already ahead of you," Misa told him. "We already got all of them."

"What?"

"Already got all of them. It's a truth bullet."

"Fucking hell."

"Oh, please. Like Rudolph didn't have yours, Ryuu."

Right on cue, her Monopad buzzed.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Secrets**

 **Rudolph has Ryuu's secret: I want to kill Sumire**

* * *

Ryuu's face twisted in displeasure. "Fucking hell," he repeated.

"Thought you weren't a liar," Misa said sarcastically, even as she mentally agreed with him. So a pairing had to be stated out loud for it to count. That might give some breathing room to the whole Zettai issue, but still. She had a sinking feeling that this truth bullet was going to cause a hell of a lot more problems than it would solve.

Ryuu went back to riffling through Shouko's pockets. Misa bit her bottom lip before turning her attention to the gun sitting inches from the victim's left hand. Her sweet child, her baby. She carefully picked it up, smiling at the feel of the familiar weight in her hand. And no, she totally didn't stroke the barrel a few times. That would just be weird. She flicked the safety on before releasing the clip, her movements sure and practiced. Ryuu stopped what he was doing to watch her.

"One bullet missing," she said for his benefit. That matches up. She only heard one shot anyway. She replaced the clip and was halfway done sliding it into its rightful spot in her holster when she froze. This was still an active crime scene. People were still investigating. And normally, she really wouldn't give a shit about stuff like that but these were… extenuating circumstances. Other people might want to see this. Might need to.

She looked over at Ryuu to see him still staring at her. "Fuck," she muttered and put her gun back where it originally was. Ryuu smirked. Misa really wanted to punch him. But that still didn't stop her from feeling like something was wrong with this picture. Oh, what was it though? It was right on the top of her tongue too.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Gun at Scene**

* * *

That was basically everything here that she could think of. Guess it was time to move on and reluctantly leave her baby behind. It was okay, though. She had a plan to get it back. She was never just going to abandon it again. Misa stood, ignoring the way her knees creaked.

"Hey, kid! Fucking alibi?" Ryuu asked when he finally noticed that she was leaving.

Misa shrugged. "Actually got a good one. Noticed my guns were missing a couple of minutes before Shouko was killed. I was with Zettai and Shoma downstairs went the shot went off. You?"

"Was in my room most of the day. Went to da auditorium to train before 6:00. Was there when it happened. Thought it was a fucking box fallin' or somthin.'"

"Alone?"

"Yeah, kid."

"Shitty alibi."

"Fuck off."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Downstairs Alibis**

* * *

Great. Another incomplete truth bullet. How fun. Misa just loved these oh so much. She left Ryuu with the body and scanned the room for Zettai. He wasn't actually that far away, standing in front of the bloodstain on the window. That wasn't really an issue. The issue was that Miyu was standing right next to him and that they seemed to be having some kind of hushed discussion. Misa, being Misa, slide right in the middle between them with a small grin.

"Find anything interesting so far?" she asked.

"I assume you've seen the secrets truth bullet by now?" Zettai asked. Misa nodded. "The lovely Miyu and I were trying to figure out who had what."

"Don't try and flatter me. It just makes me ill," Miyu told him with a scowl. Zettai smirked. "I was just standing here looking at the stain on the window when he decided to talk to me."

"Please, like you can find anything interesting from it," he said. "It's a normal bloodstain. She was shot in front of the window. We knew this."

Did they? Misa looked over her should at Shouko's body. Yeah, she guessed that made sense.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Window Bloodstain**

* * *

"Don't patronize me either, Zettai," Miyu warned.

"Or what?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in challenge.

Misa held up her hands. "Okay, can we please put this pissing contest on hold for the moment? Figuring out secrets, yes?" Both Zettai and Miyu nodded. "Okay, well apparently you have to say both names in order for it to register. Or something like that. I already got Ryuu's in the system. Rudolph had him."

"Obviously," Zettai said. "In that case, I, Zettai have Miyu's." Said genetic engineer looked down at her boots. "And we decided that Sumire had Shouko."

"I had Kat's," Misa said after a second. "And, um, Shoma had mine."

"I don't know who I have yet," Miyu said quietly. "But I will. At this point, it's just process of elimination."

Yeah, that was what Misa was afraid of. "Kotoko has Shoma's," she added, sending a mental apology his way. "What else can we figure out?" Should she even be asking this? She was just helping Miyu's process of elimination.

"Hoshina's secret worries me," Miyu admitted. "Sanity slipping? There's no way that that's good."

"Yeah, but who would it be?" Misa asked. "I can't think of anyone who's suddenly crazy."

"Well, Satsuki's is obvious," Zettai said. "She has Ryo. The weirdest one here." Their Monopads all buzzed in confirmation. But that just made Misa a bit sad. He was perfectly aware of who he was, and he didn't like it. Even as he continued to smile and giggle and assign people different animals, he still wanted to be someone different. Someone more normal. She looked over to where he stood talking to Rudolph and Kat, the ache in her chest doubling.

Something else was bugging her. But what?

"Okay, but I think the rest require that we talk to people and ask them," Miyu said. "There isn't really any way to just guessing those."

"I agree," Zettai said.

"Oh no. Inform the media. A catastrophe is about to happen," Misa said dryly. Zettai just looked at her. Miyu smiled.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED**

 **Secrets**

 **Shoma has Misa's secret: I'm sometimes scared of my partner.**

* * *

 **Zettai has Miyu's secret: I'm the reason why my sister got sick** _._

* * *

 **Kotoko has Shoma's secret: I'm the Ultimate Analyst.**

* * *

 **Misa has Kat's secret: I'm a member of the Black Doves.**

* * *

 **Satsuki has Ryo's secret: I know that I'm a little weird, and wish that I wasn't.**

* * *

 **Sumire has Shouko's secret: I lied about my greatest creation.**

* * *

"Oh, before I forget," Misa said, snapping her fingers. "Alibis?"

"Misa, I was literally staring at you when this happened," Zettai told her.

"Yeah, but when did you get there? Did you see anyone else? That kinda thing."

"Shoma and I arrived at around 6:00 pm. No, I did not see anyone else. I was focused on our game. Then you arrived, saying that your guns were missing."

"Mine's… not so great," Miyu said when Misa turned to look at her expectantly. She sighed. "I walked laps around the circle here to calm down, and then I went upstairs to the map room. It was after 6:00. Probably closer to 6:20? I was reading, so I didn't see anyone, but I heard the observatory door close a few minutes after I got there. When I heard the shot, I immediately went into the hall and tried to open the door."

"You're right. That's not a great alibi," Zettai said with a small smirk. Miyu glared at him. "Something that's been bothering me," he continued, "Misa, you said earlier that you haven't seen your guns since last night?"

"Yeah? I mean, that was the last time that I checked in on them."

"Even though you usually look in on them every morning?"

"Yeah. I didn't get a chance to. I was kinda running around all day."

"So they could have been gone the entire day," Miyu said. Misa nodded.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Last Seen (Guns)**

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Upstairs Alibis**

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Downstairs Alibis**

* * *

Misa's eyes widened with a small gasp. _That_ was what had been bugging her. Fuck, she was stupid. Really, really stupid. "Guns," she said softly. "I have guns, plural. Two of them." Miyu covered her mouth with one hand.

"But there's only one here," she whispered, the already quiet words muffled by her hand.

Zettai watched the rest of the group's reflection through the window. "Is the assumption that the killer has it then?"

"Unless you buy Ryuu's theory that Shouko was the killer."

"Too convenient," he said as he shook his head.

"Maybe," Misa allowed. "If I do something stupid, will one of you yell if you think someone is about to pull a gun and shoot me?"

"What? No!" Miyu said, grabbing onto Misa's wrist. "What are you going to do?"

"See if anyone has my gun. I kinda want it back." She winked and slipped her wrist from her grasp. She walked to the center of the room and clapped her hands together, drawing everyone attention to her. "We all still here? Great! I think one of you has my second gun. Yes, there are two. So I'd just like to search everyone real quick. Make sure you're not hiding it on your person. Okay? Oh, and I should probably mention that refusing to do so will make you look incredibly suspicious."

"There's a second gun?" Satsuki asked, and went pale when Misa nodded.

"Who's going to search you then?" Shoma asked. He stood in the doorway with Hoshina. The pair had been about to leave when Misa had her announcement. Hurt flared up in her, brief but strong at the thought that Shoma would honestly think that she could have done this. She shrugged, hoping that the movement would seem casual and unconcerned but unsure if it actually came off that way.

She took off her jacket and threw it to Shoma. "Go ahead and check it then. You got your two obvious pockets, and then four more hidden here, here, here, and here." She pointed where on her body each would be. She waited somewhat patiently as Shoma carefully searched each one.

"Clear," he said.

"Thanks. And I assume that my jeans and shirt are tight enough that it's obvious I'm not hiding it somewhere else? I mean, I guess I can strip if you really want me to."

Someone suddenly started coughing. Misa didn't have to turn to know who it was. Shoma, for his part, looked entirely unamused, even as Hoshina looked like something about Misa's statement concerned her.

"No one here wants to see that," he told her as he tossed back her jacket.

Misa grinned. "Speak for yourself," she said as she shrugged the jacket back on. "Any other objections?"

There were none. And that was honestly the intention behind Shoma's little display of resistance. He muttered as much as she quickly and efficiently patted him down before moving on to Hoshina. She was less eager to participate, although that came more from a reluctance to be touched in a lot of places at once. Misa made sure to just do hers quick and to carefully explain where exactly she would be putting her hands.

She surprisingly managed to make it through Miyu and Zettai with minimal jokes. Kat, Ryo, and Rudolph were absolutely fine. It was actually kinda funny how still the latter two tried to be through the whole thing. Rudolph also dumped the entire contents of his backpack on the floor when Ryuu mentioned that he could be hiding the gun in there. Satsuki was another one who wasn't entirely comfortable with being touched everywhere, and Fujiko decided to be "helpful" and tried to search herself so that Misa didn't have to. Sumire and Ryuu were last. Sumire was obviously a little uncomfortable with the whole thing, but didn't complain. And Ryuu, going last, naturally bitched the entire time about how everyone was looking at him like he was the killer. And naturally, he crowed victory when Misa couldn't find her gun on him either.

Her second gun was gone. And no one had any idea where it was.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Missing Gun**

* * *

"Don't worry, Solo! I'm sure that we'll find it somewhere!" Kat told her once she dismissed everyone to go and continue their investigations. She smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Kit Kat. I hope so."

"St. Anthony, St. Anthony, please come around. Something is lost and cannot be found." Kat shrugged. "He finds lost things for people."

Misa's smile grew softer. "I'll hold him to that."

"Maybe he can find us too! Like if our families say that! Then we won't be lost!" Ryo was so certain when he said it too. Her chest ached again. Rudolph nodded enthusiastically.

"I like that idea! Do you think that it could happen before we have to do the trial?"

Kat and Misa looked at each other. "Sorry, Ringu," Kat said. "That sounds like a big job. I don't know if he can work that quick."

"Oh."

"You guys were all downstairs when you heard the shot, right?" Misa asked. Ryo and Rudolph both nodded.

"Yeah!" Ryo said. "We were together in the science lab when you and Shouko hissed at each other."

"I don't know if I would call it _hissing_ exactly."

"She looked really upset when she left," Rudolph said. "Like, really really upset."

"We got into an argument at like, I don't know, a couple of minutes before she was killed. She stormed off in a huff," Misa explained for Kat's benefit.

"And that was the last time anyone saw her?" he asked. Misa shrugged. "What was the argument about?"

"Her secret." She pulled out her Monopad to show everyone. Kat looked at the other two boys with nervous eyes when he saw that his own secret was clearly listed, but neither of them seemed to notice. Ryo did, however, notice his own secret. He looked away from Misa's somewhat comforting look, ducking his head a little.

"I guess I should say my secret then," Rudolph said. "You're collecting them all, right? Because it might help? I don't mind saying it. It's not that bad."

"Then sure?" Kat told him.

"Ryo has it. I just – I just really like all of you guys and I don't want you to die and leave me!" Rudolph's words all came out in a rush, the words tripping over each other in their haste to get out.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Last Seen (Shouko)**

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Secrets**

* * *

 **Ryo has Rudolph's secret: I'm scared all my friends will die and leave me alone.**

* * *

"Aww, that's actually really cute!" Kat said, ruffling Rudolph's hair. "But you don't gotta worry. Me and Solo aren't going anywhere."

"Hey! What about me?" Ryo asked with a pout.

"You too, Tarzan."

"But… you did leave. Monokuma took you. What if he takes everyone? What if he takes everyone and just leaves me here?"

Misa didn't have an answer for that. It would have been so simple to just say that she wouldn't let that happen, that his fear was impossible. But then she remembered how powerless she felt when Kat was dragged away. All of her rage and fear channeled into one goal and she still failed. Spectacularly. She couldn't have done worse if she had tried. So she just didn't say anything. She couldn't. Not with her tongue so thick and heavy that it stuck to the roof of her mouth.

"Then I'll tell my animal friends to come and find you!" Ryo told him with complete and utter sincerity. "Okay?"

"Okay," Rudolph said quietly.

Kat scratched the back of his neck. "We should probably talk about the explosion though. Do you think it might be connected?"

"What, that this is the second attempt on Shouko's life?" Misa asked. "But that happened before the motive."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't know what else could have happened! I swear that it wasn't me! And all those chemicals should have been fine together! I wouldn't just carry them around otherwise!"

The blast did seem really targeted too. Shouko and Kat were the only ones hurt. But how would the killer know that Kat would be right next to Shouko?

That question led to a train of thought that Misa really didn't want to consider. She asked for everyone's alibis next, hoping that the answers would relieve her growing worry, but they didn't. Ryo and Rudolph went to the bathroom together once she and Shouko left. They were still there when they heard the shot. And then Kat was alone in the dining room. He had been about to go get food when he heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Attack on Shouko**

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Downstairs Alibis**

* * *

"Hey, that doesn't make sense!"

As one, the four of them turned to look at Fujiko. She stood near the door with Satsuki and Kotoko. Kotoko looked up at her, obviously trying to apologize and placate the navigator. Satsuki just kind of stood off awkwardly to the side. She mouthed something to Kotoko, but it didn't look like the other girl saw it.

"Go do your thing, Solo," Kat said knowingly, giving Misa a little push in their general direction.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Just a bit. Don't worry, though. I love you anyway." Misa shook her head with a laugh as she started to walk away. "Aw, you not gonna say it back? Solo!"

"How about an 'I know?'" she called over her shoulder. She quickly wiped the grin off her face and looked every inch the concerned, serious leader by the time she made it over to the other group. "Okay, so what doesn't make sense?"

"The elevator had tape on it!" Fujiko said.

"Yes. That is what I said," Kotoko told her. "I'm sorry, but it's true."

"Sorry, context please?"

"There was tape on one of the elevator buttons. It held it open until Kotoko noticed it and removed it," Satsuki explained quietly. Misa nodded her thanks. So that's why the elevator took forever to show up. Someone had set this up before hand in order to slow people down. Not a bad plan, actually.

"We were all so focused on trying to get in that I didn't see it at first," Kotoko said.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Tape**

* * *

"Wait, so what doesn't make sense about this?" Misa asked. Fujiko gestured to the kicked in door.

"It was locked, right? So if Shouko did it, then there should be a tape roll somewhere in here! But there's not!"

"Unless she just took one piece with her," Satsuki said. Misa inclined her head slightly in agreement. "The door was locked. There's no other way out. Shouko must have been the only one in here."

"But the tape!" Fujiko insisted.

But Satsuki actually did bring up a good point. The door was locked when they got here. Everyone, well, almost everyone, saw Ryuu kick it down. So if there was a killer, then how did they get out? Could the door lock from the outside? Misa wandered over to the doorframe. No, it didn't look like it. If the door was locked, then it was definitely from the inside. And it looked like it was actually locked too. The bolt was still engaged and there wasn't any weird residue anywhere that could have been glue or something.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Observatory Door**

* * *

"So, you where all upstairs and the door was locked?" Satsuki asked the other two girls.

"Yep! Door was locked and then the lights were off when we came in."

"The light was off?"

That question was pulled Misa back into the conversation. "Yeah. It was kinda hard to see, but the stars gave enough light for us to see what was going on."

"Stars are surprisingly bright," Satsuki said softly. "I didn't realize the light was originally off. It was on when I arrived."

"Oh yeah, where were you?" Misa asked.

"I spent the afternoon and evening in my room, trying to decompress. I didn't even know anything was wrong until the announcement."

"And I assume that Sumire was downstairs too? You guys got the elevator together."

Satsuki nodded. "Yes, she asked me if I knew what was going on. She had not heard anything either."

"It must have been a very quick rest then," Fujiko said.

"What? Why?"

"The three of us and Hoshina were talking together in the music room. We began at around 5:00 pm?" Kotoko said, tilting her head to the side as uncertainty turned her last statement into a question.

"5:30," Fujiko corrected.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry. But then Sumire left around 6:15 pm." Kotoko looked to Fujiko for confirmation. The navigator nodded firmly. "She said that she wanted to rest for a little bit before dinner."

"Yep! And then we heard the _bang_! Miyu was already in the hall, and then you guys showed up once the elevator stopped being really stupid!"

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Observatory Lights**

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED**

 **Upstairs Alibis**

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED**

 **Downstairs Alibis**

* * *

Misa was about to ask them if they had any idea what their secrets where when she saw Sumire disappear out of the corner of her eye. Well, okay, so she didn't actually disappear. She very clearly ducked down behind a couch, the same couch that Monokuma had arrived on. She said a distracted goodbye to Satsuki, Fujiko and Kotoko and wandered over in that direction. She climbed up on the couch and peeked over it to see Sumire peering into an open vent. The cover was on the floor next to it as if it had been loose and simply fallen off.

"Boo."

"I heard you get onto the couch," Sumire said without looking up.

"Oh." Lame. Misa finished climbing over the back of it, landing lightly on her feet and crouching down to peer down the vent as well. It was surprisingly wide, almost like it was meant for a person to fit through. The vent was connected to a chute that sloped down at an angle and curved away from the opening. She was struck with the sudden memory of hiding in a blue, enclosed slide on the playground while her mother called and called for her to come home.

"I was searching for some kind of hidden exit when I heard the cover fall off. It obviously wasn't on very well to begin with," the chess grandmaster said.

"What? Don't you like a good locked room murder mystery?"

"No, I hate them. They're never even half as clever as the writer thinks that they are."

"Ouch."

"It's true."

"So, you think this is how the killer got out?" Sumire nodded. "'Kay. Let's see where it goes then."

"What?" she asked, but Misa was already climbing into the vent. Sumire grabbed onto Misa's shoulder, fingers curling into the fabric of her jacket. Misa braced her arms on either side of her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Exploring. Bring my jacket when you come down, okay?"

And with that, Misa slipped her arms out of her jacket, freeing herself from Sumire's grip, and slid down the chute. She couldn't help but giggle. This really was like a slide. It bottomed out a few seconds later, making Misa scoot forward the last foot or so. But the exit was unblocked. So that was something at least.

"Okay, you can come down now!" she called up to Sumire. She climbed out of the vent and looked around. "Huh." She was in the back corner of the art room. The vent rattled behind her. She ducked to see Sumire sitting at the bottom.

"You're an idiot," she told her.

Misa grinned. "I know. Usually works out for me." She held out her hand expectantly. Sumire visibly held in a sigh and handed her the jacket. Misa took a step back so that she could get out more easily.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Vent**

* * *

Sumire looked around and frowned as she smoothed out her skirt. "Why did we end up here?"

Misa shrugged. "It's as good a room as any?" She walked a few steps away, eyes peeled for anything that would be metallic and gun-shaped. "So, where were you today? In your room?"

"My, my, is this the mandatory alibi interrogation?" she teased. "Yes, I was in my room at the time of the murder. But before that, I was upstairs in the music room with Hoshina, Fujiko, and Kotoko. I left around 6:10? 6:15?" Misa nodded. That all matched up. "And yours?"

Misa neatly summed up her own alibi as she continued her search. She peeked inside of the garbage can near the sink. It was meant to be a place where people could wash paint off of brushes or clay off of their hands, but there was something else inside of the can as well. Misa caught the other girl's eye and called with over with the sharp tilt of her head. Inside of the trashcan was a still damp paper towel stained with blood.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Bloody Paper Towel**

* * *

"I knew it," Sumire said quietly, even as smug satisfaction radiated off her in waves. Still, that satisfaction was also tinged with desperate relief. There was something in her eyes that was just so comforted by the sight of some stupid paper towel.

They quickly searched the rest of the room, but there was nothing. Misa had hoped that maybe the killer had hidden her gun somewhere in the art room, but it was not meant to be. She bid goodbye to Sumire at the door and headed to the last place that she wanted to check out.

The lottery room was empty when she arrived. In more ways that one. She had been so focused on her missing guns earlier that she completely missed the fact that a lot of display cases were empty. At least thirty of them, if her estimation skills were worth anything. A sizable pile of loot and gifts sat on the floor next to the machine.

Misa stepped further into the room. Someone must have spent a lot of time here just sitting and pulled a lever. And if they got something that they didn't want, they just dropped it on the floor next to them. They obviously had a very specific item in mind.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Empty Display Cases**

* * *

 **Bing bong, Ding dong**

"Ahem! Attention everyone, the investigation period is now officially over! Please report to the trial rooms immediately! And yes, everyone! Even if you can't talk!"

Monokuma ended his announcement with a cackle and clicked off. Misa grinned, feral and calculated. Yeah, yeah, she'd go to the trial room. She just had a short detour to make first.

* * *

 **And thus ends our investigation. Hopefully you have some more concrete thoughts on who the killer is! The poll is still up on my profile if you would like to vote. I'm fairly certain that whatever virus was going around has been taken care of. Or, as always, you can leave your thoughts in a review!**

 **Until next time!**


	19. Chapter Two Part VII

**It's trial time! I hope you're all excited and have thoughts on who the killer is. But before we get started, I have two quick announcements. I now have a Discord server for this story. I post sneak peeks, trivia, and general announcements there, and it's (hopefully) a fun place to discuss the story and theories with other readers. Everyone is welcome to join, you don't need to have an OC to be welcomed. Just shoot me a message if you want the invite!**

 **Secondly, I just want to put out a content warning from now to the rest of Chapter Two. This trial and its aftermath are doing to deal heavily with suicide. It will be explicitly discussed in some detail. If that's something that triggers you, please be mindful of that and take care of yourself.**

 **Now onto the chapter!**

 **liammarklh88: Listen, instead of Chekov's Gun, I had Misa's Guns. They were going to make an appearance eventually haha. I'm glad that you thought that Ryuu's secret was funny. I personally had a lot of fun coming up with it. And there are a few people with secrets arising form the game. Ryuu and Zettai aren't the only ones...**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Those were good theories. Or at least super interesting ones to read. Obviously, I can't say how true they might be haha. Guess we'll have to see how the trial plays out!**

 **Shirasaur: Which character? You got a couple to worry about ;) But I'm glad that you're excited for the trial! Hopefully I live up to expectations :)**

 **Abitat Eco: Never apologize for lack of reviews! Just do what you can. :) Especially when this review made me giggle a lot. It was a lot of fun reading your stream of consciousness thoughts for the past few chapters. Really glad you're enjoying it so far!**

* * *

The time had come for a second class trial. She had accepted that. Shouko was clearly dead. She had been able to process that by now. But that still didn't stop the air from containing this disconnected aura to it. Emotions hadn't quite caught up to logic just yet. That would come. Preferably in the privacy of her own room where she processed what happened, what pieces were left on the board, what use they still had. A cold way of thinking of things, but a useful one. She couldn't afford to view the situation in any other way. Not if she wanted to keep her head above the dark, churning waters that threatened to drown her the moment she decided to dwell on things best left forgotten and left behind.

Sumire stood alone towards the back of the gathered group of Ultimates, as far away from Ryuu has physically possible. That did not stop her from looking at him every few seconds, however, only to look away when she found him staring steadily back at her. It wasn't that long ago that he would have been standing right by her side, muttering sardonic comments under his breath as some of the showier personalities of the group fought for attention, for power. Misa's charming grins were his favorite to scoff at, even more so that Zettai's snide comments.

Now, he just wanted her dead. Bastard.

Sumire looked away from him again, checking behind her for any sign of Misa or Zettai. They were the only ones still missing, which was more than enough to trip a few alarm bells. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that the pair was working together in some capacity; the amount of times they both just so happened to arrive at breakfast at the exact same time was far too high to simply be a coincidence, even if Misa continue to snip at Zettai and take every opportunity to make a sarcastic comment in his direction. She honestly expected better from, well, one of them, but given her apparently poor taste in knights, she couldn't judge too harshly. No need to be too hypocritical now.

Still, what could they be doing that would make them now several minutes late? She wanted to know. Needed to. Desperately. How hard was it to just keep her in the loop? She deserved that much. She had the right to that much. Really, it was just common courtesy at this point.

Everyone else mostly talked quietly amongst themselves with Kat trying to lighten the mood with his usual antics. His humor was more manic than usual, but at least Miyu still seemed to appreciate it. His other two hangers-on didn't count. Rudolph and Ryo would appreciate anything if it were said in the correct tone of voice.

Finally, the missing two appeared from around the corner. Neither was smiling, although they didn't look particularly unhappy either. Zettai carried his usual expression as he surveyed the group and made his way to Sumire's side. She looked up at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. Pressing her lips more firmly together, Sumire turned her attention to Misa. Of course, she had gone to stand by Miyu, bumping her shoulder against the other girl's in greeting.

"Where were you?" Miyu asked.

Misa shrugged. "What? Nowhere. Monokuma just pulled us aside to go over what we could and couldn't do during the trial," she said with an easy grin that appeared a few moments later. "Relax. It was nothing bad. Just gotta hope other people step up for me." She looked meaningfully towards Shoma. Hoshina shuffled a step closer to him and whispered something that Sumire didn't catch.

A reasonable answer, but that grin never signaled anything entirely good. Sumire automatically looked at Ryuu, ready to silently share her observations, but he wasn't there. The bounty hunter had already stalked up to the trial room doors to pound his open palm against them.

"Fucking open up!" he yelled. "Tired of waiting, kid!"

"Speak for yourself," Fujiko muttered just loud enough for the people immediately surrounding her to hear. Satsuki smiled, although it was quick and gone the instant after it arrived. Kotoko made a small sound that was probably meant to be a laugh.

Still, the doors obliged his brusque commands and dutifully slid open to reveal the elevator. He walked right in, claiming a wall to lean against.

"Room for one more?" Kat joked, his voice a bit too high and strained. Still, he walked into the elevator, prompting the rest of the group to follow suit. There was more room this time around, for the obvious reasons, but that didn't stop everyone from standing in the exact same places as last time, which left Sumire standing directly next to Ryuu. Naturally. Perfect.

Again, Shoma was the last to step on the elevator, but he took a fairly odd path to get to his spot. Instead of the direct path that skirted basically everyone, he went right into the middle of the fray.

"Watch the floor," he muttered as he pushed past Misa. The smuggler frowned, but her eyes dutifully dropped to the ground without any hesitation. Why? It wasn't like her to just follow orders. God knows she had enough experience with her to know that. Sumire chanced a glance at Ryuu, but he just looked restless. Had he not heard anything?

"Going down," Misa muttered as the elevator shuddered to life. Just like last time, it lurched and bounced as it made its descent. Sumire looked down at the floor out of curiosity. It was just a floor. It moved exactly like she expected it to.

Except…

The floor wasn't _supposed_ to be moving.

Elevators were supposed to essentially be a sealed box. The entire thing moved together as a single unit. That was not what was happening here. The floor was moving independently, sliding up and down the walls with each shudder of the carriage.

Sumire's eyes widened slightly as she lifted her gaze to stare at Misa and Shoma. They weren't actually going anywhere. This whole thing was just an illusion to trick them into thinking that the trial room was far below them when, in fact, it had always just been right on the other side of the wall. Their prison just suddenly got remarkably smaller.

Misa arrived at that conclusion a few seconds later, immediately looking to Shoma. He nodded slightly in confirmation before inclining his head towards Sumire. Misa looked at the chess grandmaster out of the corner of her eye, the ghost of a grin appearing on her face.

Misa tended to have two different grins. There was one that she used when she wanted to be charming. This was the more common one. Sumire, admittedly, did not mind this grin. It was an obvious tell at this point, but it wasn't a harbinger of anything worrying. Her second grin was, and this was the one that currently appeared on Misa's face.

The elevator creaked to a stop, or the illusion of a stop, and the doors slid open to reveal the trial room in all of its gaudy glory. Monokuma sat slouched in his throne, the grin of his face easily putting Misa's to shame.

"Welcome, welcome! You all should know the drill by now!" he said as everyone filtered into the room. "Find your podium and prepare yourself for another thrilling class trial!"

"Come on, guys. You got this!" Misa said as she hopped up onto her podium.

"Ahem."

"What? Trial hasn't started yet!"

Sumire stepped up to her podium, taking a moment to study the picture on the podium to the right. Shouko stared out defiantly from under the painted red X, her finger raised up and out of the frame. Sumire never really talked to her. She could appreciate her brilliance, but everything else simply made Sumire want to avoid her. She felt nothing about her death, negatively or positively. It was just… there.

But still, she wasn't going to die just because someone else decided to take life into their own hands. Whether she cared or knew about Shouko or not made no difference. She was still going to fight, to clear everything away until only the vulnerable killer remained.

Whoever that may be.

"Alrighty, everyone! Let's get started! Make sure to review your truth bullets. Remember, you all must debate to figure out who the blackened is. When you're finished, or if I get bored, you'll vote on your answer. Misa, Zettai, you need to vote too. If you're right, congratulations! You win, and I get to punish the blackened! But guess wrong, and I'll punished everyone besides the blackened, who get's to go free. Oh, and remember… _everyone_ is punished for a tie."

A tie. She would have to remember that rule, especially if their numbers continued to shrink. But that would be a concern for a later date. Right now, she simply needed to focus on the facts of this case.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS:**

 **Monokuma File #2:** The victim is Shouko Sakamura, the Ultimate Robotic Engineer. Time of death was 6:30 pm. The body was discovered minutes afterwards. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head by a small caliber weapon. There is stippling around the wound. There are no other injuries.

 **Gunshot Wound:** The shot went through her right temple and exited her head at a downward angle. There is also stippling around the wound, which only happens at very short range.

 **Gun at Scene** : One of Misa's guns was found near Shouko's left hand. One bullet is missing from the clip.

 **Missing Gun:** Misa had two guns. The second one is currently unaccounted for. A search showed that it was not in the observatory and that no one had it on his or her person. The gun was not found before the trial started.

 **Window Bloodstain:** There is a bloodstain on the observatory window consistent with one caused by a shot to the head. The height is consistent with Shouko's standing height.

 **Downstairs Alibis:** Shoma and Zettai were playing chess in the lounge since around 6:00pm. Misa arrived right before the shot occurred. Rudolph and Ryo were together in the bathroom when the shot occurred. They left to see Kat running down the hall from the direction of the dining room. Ryuu was in his room and then moved to the auditorium to work out at 5:45 pm. Satsuki spent the entire afternoon and evening in her room. She and Sumire only became aware of the murder after the body announcement.

 **Upstairs Alibis:** Hoshina, Fujiko, Sumire and Kotoko were together talking in the music room since 5:30 pm. Sumire left at 6:15 pm and went downstairs to rest in her room. Miyu was standing in the hall when they left the room to investigate the shot. Miyu walked a few laps around the circle before going upstairs to the map room at around 6:20 pm. She heard a door close a few minutes later. After the shot, she immediately went to the hall.

 **Last Seen (Shouko):** Shouko was last scene leaving the science lab at 6:20 pm. She was visibly upset after being confronted with her secret.

 **Last Seen (Guns):** The guns were last seen in their lottery room display case last night.

 **Empty Display Cases:** A significant number of display cases in the lottery room are empty. Most of their contents are on the floor next to the coin slot machine.

 **Attack on Shouko:** Kat's explosives bag exploded the evening before Monokuma gave out the motive. Kat and Shouko were the only ones in danger from the blast, but only suffered minor injuries since Kat pushed them both out of the way. Kat swears that he doesn't know what happened.

 **Tape:** Duct tape was used to hold the elevator door open on the second floor. Kotoko removed the tape once she noticed it, and the elevator immediately left for the first floor.

 **Observatory Door:** The door to the observatory was locked from the inside and needed to be kicked down.

 **Observatory Lights:** The lights in the observatory were turned off, leaving the room in almost total darkness.

 **Vent:** There is a vent that leads from the observatory to the art room. It is large enough for a person to slide through. The vent cover in the observatory was not firmly secured.

 **Bloody Paper Towel:** There was a wet paper towel stained with blood in the art room trashcan.

 **Secrets:** Monokuma gave each Ultimate a random secret. There was no indication whose secret you got.

-Shoma has Misa's secret: I'm sometimes scared of my partner.

-Zettai has Miyu's secret: I'm the reason why my sister got sick.

-Rudolph has Ryuu's secret: I want to kill Sumire.

-Kat has ?'s secret: I hate my siblings for leaving me behind with my parents.

-Ryuu has ?'s secret: I know that my dream is impossible.

-Ryo has Rudolph's secret: I'm scared all my friends will die and leave me alone.

-Miyu has ?'s secret: I orchestrated Itami's death.

-Kotoko has Shoma's secret: I'm the Ultimate Analyst.

-Misa has Kat's secret: I'm a member of the Black Doves.

-Fujiko has ?'s secret: I wish I didn't isolate myself so much.

-Satsuki has Ryo's secret: I know that I'm a little weird, and wish that I wasn't.

-Hoshina has ?'s secret: I can feel my sanity slipping.

-Shouko has ?'s secret: I'm scared I'll be like my father.

-Sumire has Shouko's secret: I lied about my greatest creation."

* * *

Sumire found herself lingering on the secrets more than anything else. Yes, Ryuu wanted to kill her, the bastard, but she was drawn more to Shouko's secret. She had lied about her greatest creation. If that knowledge got out to the general scientific community, it would easily ruin her. After all, if she lied about that, what would stop her from lying about anything in the future? Her reputation would be in tatters.

Maybe Ryuu was right. Maybe she really did commit suicide.

She clicked off her Monopad, intentionally ignoring the secret that she knew was hers. With luck, they wouldn't need to open that particular can of worms. She could already imagine Hoshina's pitying gaze.

"Okay then. Is everyone ready to start?" Miyu asked with a surprising amount of enthusiasm.

"But how?" Rudolph asked as he fiddled with the strap of his backpack. "Misa always had the answers!"

"It's okay. You can step up," Misa said as she stared pointedly at Shoma. Shoma very pointedly ignored her for the moment. Monokuma cleared his throat, and Misa held her hands up in surrender. Zettai smirked at her apparent inability to stay quiet.

Yes, this gag order was already working so well.

"The smartest thing to do would be to replicate what we did last time," Sumire said. To her surprise, she earned a nod from Miyu, who actually looked surprised herself. "If someone says something that you know to be wrong, then don't be afraid to speak up. We're all working from the same truth bullets here."

Fujiko scratched the side of her head. "But what if we know something and don't want to say it?" she asked.

"Fucking hell, kid. Like what?" Ryuu asked.

"Like, um, a suspect?"

"No one here wants any of our friends to be a murderer," Hoshina told her in that ever-gentle way that just never rang completely true to Sumire. "But we still must work together. For Shouko's sake."

"Okay, fine! Shouko almost blew up this week, and Kat is the explosives guy!" Fujiko said all in a rush.

"Hey! Leave Kat alone!" Ryo immediately yelled. "He didn't do anything!"

"Don't yell at me! I'm just saying!"

"But – but why would Kat want to kill Shouko?" Rudolph asked.

A valid question. Kat himself was absolutely silent, staring at those arguing with a pale face and wide eyes. This would be the time to say something, even if it was just a generic denial about how he was innocent, but none came, even as the argument grew louder and louder around him. Why wasn't he saying anything?

Sumire could see that question reflected in the eyes of a few others: Miyu, Shoma, Kotoko, and, of course, Misa. Misa in particular looked unhappy and she rocked her weight back and forth from one foot to another. Giving herself a mental shake, she turned her attention back to the arguments. Something definitely wasn't making sense here.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Attack on Shouko | Last Seen (Shouko) | Gunshot Wound**

 **Fujiko:** Someone already _**tried to kill Shouko twice!**_

 **Ryo:** _**But the explosion was an accident or something!**_

 **Rudolph:** Yeah! Kat said that he didn't do it!

 **Fujiko:** Yeah, because he'd just tell us if he did.

 **Satsuki:** This is a valid point that we need to consider.

 **Miyu:** Yes, but Kat was caught in the explosion too. How do we know that he wasn't the target?

 **Fujiko:** He isn't the one dead right now!

 **Ryuu:** Kid's got a point.

 **Fujiko:** Kat could have rigged the explosives to kill her.

 **Fujiko:** It's his talent! _ **He would know what to do**_ in order to make her go boom and die!

 **Rudolph:** Stop it! Kat wouldn't do that! He doesn't hurt people like that!

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Attack on Shouko**

 _You're technically not wrong._

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"Did you have to phrase it like that?" Miyu asked when Sumire spoke up, her voice loud and clear enough to cut through the general din.

Sumire shrugged. "It's the truth. Fujiko is technically not wrong, Kat would know exactly what to do in order to kill someone with a bomb." He flinched at that. "Which is why that clears him."

"Wait, it does?"

"My, my, Fujiko. You almost sound upset about that," Sumire said as the navigator frantically searched for words.

"No. No! I'm not! I don't want it to be Kat! He's my friend. I'm just…"

"Confused?" Sumire asked. "Then think for a second. If Kat really wanted to kill Shouko with explosives, then he should have no trouble doing it. Instead, they both only got very minor injuries."

"Yeah!" Miyu added. "And don't forget that Kat saved her! He pushed Shouko out of the way!"

"That still doesn't clear him," Satsuki said quietly. Her tone was apologetic, despite how blank her expression was. "He could have misjudged something, or orchestrated everything in order to remove suspicion once Shouko did die."

"Yeah, because that plan worked out great," Miyu said, rolling her eyes. "Definitely no suspicion on him now."

"I'm sorry, but that sounds so convoluted," Kotoko said. "Why would he risk angering Monokuma?"

"Why isn't he defending himself?" Satsuki countered. "Give proof of his innocence."

"And here I thought that burden of proof was supposed to be on the accuser," Miyu snapped.

"This is nonsense," Shoma muttered next to Sumire.

"Then speak up and say something," she told him. Shoma glared at her with enough ferocity for Sumire to take a small step back. There was something _vicious_ in those eyes. There was no other way to explain it.

"Hey, leave Satsuki alone!" Fujiko said, apparently having recovered enough to rejoin the discussion. "You said to speak up if things didn't make sense! That's what we're doing!"

"I don't want to hurt anyone," Kat whispered, his eyes squeezed shut. What was this reaction? It didn't make sense to her. Miyu's face was grim, but determined; she was going to fight for him until she beat everyone else into submission.

But Misa, Misa was visibly nervous. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the trial stand, eyes unblinking as she stared at him. Misa was never nervous. She was loud, confident, maybe too quick to anger, but never, ever nervous.

"Whatcha fucking say, kid?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone," he repeated. "Ever. Why don't you guys know that by now? This isn't funny!"

"We do know that," Shoma said, causing all eyes to fall onto him. It was clear that no one really expected him to speak up. No one, that is, except for Misa, who now had the biggest smile on her face. Not a grin, but an actual smile. "So let's go through this one more time."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Gun at Scene | Upstairs Alibis | Downstairs Alibis**

 **Miyu:** _**Kat isn't the killer.**_ He would never do something like that!

 **Satsuki:** _ **That is not enough of a reason to not consider him.**_

 **Satsuki:** None of us would ever be murderers in any other situation.

 **Ryuu:** Ya mean 'most of us.'

 **Misa:** Fuck off.

 **Monokuma:** Ahem!

 **Misa:** What? _**He was clearly talking about me!**_

 **Zettai:** Misa, just be quiet.

 **Sumire:** Can we get back on task, please?

 **Satsuki:** _**There is no proof**_ to show that Kat could not have committed the murder.

 **Miyu:** There's no proof that he did!

 **Fujiko:** I'm sorry I ever brought this up.

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Downstairs Alibis**

 _Shut up, idiot. You don't know what you're talking about._

 **BREAK!**

* * *

Shoma's interruption was surprisingly bitter, but it shouldn't have been. He had a tendency to get nasty whenever he felt like being clever. Hoshina watched him carefully. If she could reach, Sumire had a feeling that she would be placing a hand on his back or shoulder. Satsuki blinked at him, but otherwise waited for him to speak.

"This trial only gets somewhere if we use the truth bullets. You're ignoring them," he told her. "Check the alibis of the people who were downstairs. Kat's clearly states that he was there, and that he was seen down there. I'm sure that you remember that the murder occurred upstairs?"

Yes, but… that wasn't exactly proof. Kat was seen downstairs after the gunshot went off, and there was a way to get down to the first floor without being seen via the vent. That wouldn't have been difficult.

She obviously wasn't the only one to think of that because Fujiko quickly said, "But that was after the murder. Not before!" She glanced at Kat sheepishly. "It's true? Not really a great alibi."

"Yes, because Satsuki's is so much more compelling?" Shoma drawled. "What's your proof for not being the killer, Miss Enomoto?"

They were stuck in a spiral. It was clear that no one was going to budge. There was no other proof to show. Honestly, she was surprised that Monokuma hadn't called for a scrum debate yet. Perhaps they weren't split evenly enough.

"I didn't do this," Kat whispered. "I promise."

Sumire looked at him, really just looked at him. And then she did something that she never expected to do during one of these trials, and certainly not while she was innocent. She lied. Easily.

"I saw him," she said, instantly calming the brewing argument. "Before the murder. I decided to check the dining room to see if anyone was there already to eat, and I saw him going into the kitchen. But since it was only Kat, I decided to go back to my room instead."

Kat openly gaped at her, more so confused than shocked. "You – you did?"

She nodded. "Yes. Would anyone like to doubt me?"

She was incredibly relieved when there was silence. Neither Satsuki nor Fujiko would look at her. Misa, though, looked like she was about to collapse in relief. Had she suspected Kat as well? Unwillingly, obviously, but the thought still remained. Either way, they could put this behind them. As long as she hadn't seriously misjudged things and chosen the wrong piece to back.

Again.

"This was a good conversation to have," Hoshina said. "It was productive and got to ball rolling, right?"

"Yes, even if it did get, um, loud," Kotoko said. "And argumentative."

"It's a start. And now we have someone ruled out!" Hoshina continued. "It's progress."

As soon as the conversation seemed well and truly moved on, Kat caught Sumire's eye and ducked his head in thanks. There was a knowing glint in his eye, though. Did he know that she had lied for him? Maybe that could be something she could leverage in the future.

"Why we even fucking talkin' about this?" Ryuu asked, slamming his hand on the railing. "The chick offed herself. End of fucking story."

Hoshina's smile faltered. "I really don't think it's that simple."

"Why? You the professional here, kid?"

"Yes, actually. That is exactly what I am."

"Oh. Huh."

"I… I'm sorry. I know that this might be unpleasant, but we should discuss this too. There is some evidence that Shouko might have done this," Kotoko said.

"There is?" Rudolph asked. "What?"

"Yes, with her injury."

"Not a fucking injury if it killed her," Ryuu said, causing Kotoko to duck her head in shame.

"Hey! I think that's still the right word," Ryo said before his face scrunched up in confusion. "Right? Point is you're mean!"

Something about Shouko's wound supports the idea that she committed suicide? Sumire frowned and pulled out her Monopad. What could that be?

* * *

 **What indicates the wound was self-inflicted?**

 **The location where she was shot**

 **The range at which she was shot**

 **The angle at which she was shot**

* * *

"Are you referring to the stippling?" Sumire asked. Kotoko nodded.

"The what?" Ryuu asked, leaning forward slightly.

She frowned as she turned to look at him. "The stippling? According to the second truth bullet, that only occurs at very short range."

"Like if she held the gun up to her head," Miyu said. The genetic engineer forced her voice to be light and casual, but couldn't force her expression to do the same.

"I'm confused," Ryo said as he raised his hand. What else was new?

"What about?" Miyu asked.

"Was Shouko grabbed or something? Because it would be really, really hard to get the gun that close if she was moving around or fighting or something! Shouko would claw out the eyes of someone who tried to kill her!"

Okay, wait, that was a surprisingly valid point. Sumire glanced over the truth bullets again. Nothing in them indicated that there was any kind of struggle. Shouko's clothes hadn't been ruined or torn or anything like that. So how did the killer actually kill her, assuming that a third party was actually involved. Did they sneak up on her somehow?

"You completely missed the start of this conversation," Shoma told him flatly. "She wouldn't fight back if the wound was self-inflicted. Not that it was, but you know."

"It wasn't?" Hoshina asked.

"Of course not. There's obvious evidence against it."

"Like fucking what, kid?"

Shoma squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, obviously trying to stop himself from saying something. "Alright," he finally said. "Let's see if any of you can actually figure it out."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Monokuma File # 2 | Gun at Scene | Window Bloodstain**

 **Ryuu:** _**Shouko fucking killed herself.**_

 **Shoma:** I know that you're not that bright, but stop pushing the wrong answer.

 **Ryuu:** Da fuck, kid!

 **Hoshina:** Shoma, maybe you should just present your evidence. Please?

 **Fujiko:** Oh! Oh! Wait, does it _**have something to do with the window?**_

 **Fujiko:** I knew that that seemed weird!

 **Rudolph:** Huh? What's weird about the window?

 **Shoma:** That's not what I'm talking about. And the answer is nothing.

 **Miyu:** _**Was it the gun?**_ Something about it feels weird.

 **Zettai:** Oh, this is painful.

 **Misa:** Now who's talking when they shouldn't be?

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Gun at Scene**

 _Yes, that would work!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"Not a bad catch, Miyu," Sumire said. Miyu, however, seemed less than pleased at the genuine compliment. "The gun. It's not in the right spot, is it?"

"There's your supposed intellect," Shoma said with a smirk. Sumire straightened her posture, fighting the urge to silently count off the number of ways she was more intelligent than him on her fingers. Hell, there would not even be enough fingers to count all the ways.

"What's with the gun, Chess Queen?" Kat asked, bouncing lightly on his feet. "Come on, can we please just speed it up here? I'm getting hungry!"

Yes, because that was a valid reason to move quickly and possibly get something wrong. Sumire sighed. "Shouko was shot on the right side of her head, right?"

"Heh, right right," Ryo said with a soft laugh. Sumire ignored him.

"But the gun was near her left hand. That's wrong. She would have to completely contort her body in order to do that."

Rudolph tried doing just that, trying to find a comfortable way to twist his arm around in order to point his makeshift finger gun at the correct spot. Needless to say, he didn't find one.

"It was a really stupid mistake on the killer's part," Shoma said. While he didn't look at anyone in particular, Sumire couldn't shake the feeling that it those words were very directed. But if he knew who the killer was, he would simply say it. Right? Her gaze flicked to someone across the room, her chest suddenly tight.

No, they weren't in the end game yet. There were still too many distractions that still needed to be removed before they could say for sure who the killer was.

"Okay, so someone else killed the mad Doktor," Kat said. Ryuu shook his head. "But how? Pretty sure the door was, you know, locked. Ape Face had to kick it down and everything. See? Even got a truth bullet saying that exact thing!"

"Actually – "

"Do we have a locked room mystery then? I'm sorry, but how does that make sense?" Kotoko asked, completely interrupting Sumire. It wasn't intentional, but annoyance still flared up in Sumire, making her face feel hot.

"I'm sure there's an explanation," Miyu said with a firm nod.

"Yes – "

"Oh! Oh! I know! What if the killer used animals to lock the door behind him? That could work!"

"Fucking hell."

Misa caught her eye and grinned. Well, at least someone was being amused by this.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Observatory Door | Tape | Vent | Missing Gun**

 **Kotoko** : I'm sorry, Ryo, did you say animals?

 **Ryo:** Uh huh! What if the killer found some insects and talked to them and _**had them lock the door for them?**_

 **Zettai:** Misa, can I borrow you for a moment? I'd like to shoot myself.

 **Monokuma:** Hey! Pipe down, peanut gallery!

 **Hoshina:** Ryo, I don't think that's possible.

 **Rudolph:** Oh! _**What if the killer was hiding in the room?**_

 **Rudolph:** They just popped out and joined us when we all went inside!

 **Fujiko:** Oh yeah! That happens all the time in stories and movies!

 **Ryuu:** Then who the fuck were we missing?

 **Miyu:** Satsuki and Sumire.

 **Fujiko:** Oh…

 **Satsuki:** We can account for each other. Neither of us was hiding.

 **Ryo:** My idea is the best! _**There was no way out of that room!**_

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Vent**

 _Just let me speak!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

Finally, there was a break in the conversation long enough for Sumire to get a word in. "I have the answer if you wouldn't mind just listening to me," she said, harsher than she meant to.

"Sorry," Rudolph said. Ryo nodded quickly.

She shook her head and smoothed out the lines in her skirt. "While I was investigating, I found a vent hidden behind one of the couches. It's big enough for someone to fit through and leads to the art room. Misa can attest to this." She tilted her head towards the smuggler who flashed a thumbs up.

"So there was a way out," Hoshina said, the gentle smile on her face momentarily replaced by a look of concentration. "That was certainly lucky for the killer."

"Ain't fucking luck," Ryuu muttered.

"It's lucky that Shouko decided to go to the observatory at that time," Hoshina told him mildly. "She wasn't summoned there, right?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sumire saw Misa shake her head. She was rocking back and forth again. Back and forth. Back and forth.

"I don't think that there was any reason for her to go there either," Miyu said, propping her chin up with her hand in a manner incredibly similar to another Ultimate in the group.

"She was showing us some of her stuff so that I could do research for a story," Rudolph said suddenly, his voice incredibly small and childlike. "She was all excited." Misa looked away from the group, turning her attention to the portrait next to Sumire.

"Yeah, but then she and Misa started hissing at each other," Ryo said.

"Hissing?" Shoma asked.

"Solo and Doktor got into an argument," Kat translated. "I… don't think it ended very well." Both Ryo and Rudolph shook their heads.

"So it's fucking her fault that Shouko was there, huh?" Ryuu asked.

"Oh, shut up!" Miyu snapped.

Misa ignored both of them, her face neutral even as her arms trembled from how tightly she gripped the edges of her podium. Zettai watched her carefully, his brow furrowed in thought.

"But how could the killer have planned for that?" Kotoko asked.

"Maybe Misa was fucking in on it," Ryuu said.

"There it is," Misa sighed.

"That's ridiculous," Sumire said before anyone else could refute that. Ryuu blinked a few times in shock before settling into a sneer. She stared back at him steadily, despite the uneasiness rolling through her core.

"Yeah! Come on, Ape Face. We already rode that crazy train," Kat said. "Bring something fresh and new to the table!"

"Putting that aside," Miyu said, glaring at Ryuu in case he decided to speak up again, "Kotoko had a point. How did the killer plan for that? Or was Shouko just a random victim?"

"How do we figure this out if it's random?" Fujiko asked. "This freaking sucks."

"The same way that we figure out everything," Hoshina told her gently. "Let's discuss it."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Empty Display Case | Bloody Paper Towel | Tape | Missing Gun**

 **Satsuki:** How should we start?

 **Kat:** I dunno.

 **Miyu:** We all agree that _**Shouko went to the observatory by chance, right?**_

 **Ryo:** Yep! Makes sense to me.

 **Miyu:** And then once she was there, the killer shot her in the head.

 **Rudolph:** But we just saw her!

 **Fujiko:** Yeah, there was like, what, _**ten minutes?**_ Not a lot of time to plan.

 **Rudolph:** _**So there was no planning at all?**_

 **Kotoko** : But then why was Shouko killed?

 **Shoma:** Why do you always miss the obvious answer?

 **Fujiko:** Hey! I don't see you speaking up!

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Empty Display Case**

 _Stop it. That's not right!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"It isn't?" Rudolph asked.

"Of course not," Shoma said, crossing his arms. "The murder weapon proves that."

"It was a lottery system," Sumire added. "The killer obviously went to a lot of trouble to get the guns."

Miyu's eyes lit up in understanding. "That's why we couldn't find a lot of Monocoins. The killer was gathering them all in order to get the guns! Or at least try to."

"Obviously, the killer planned far enough ahead to try and do that," Shoma said. "They would need a lot of Monocoins if they wanted to guarantee that they would get the guns."

"Hence the pile of discarded gifts," Sumire said. "They must have just stood there and tried again and again until they got what they wanted."

"That would also take a lot of time," Miyu said, leaning forward in her stand. "So then who would have enough time to do that?"

"Another question would be who would be able to pull that off?" Kotoko said quietly. She was almost shaking as she spoke, her eyes fixed firmly on the ground. Still, she spoke. Beside her, Shoma sighed. "Shoma would be able to calculate how many coins he would need. Or, the Ultimate Analyst would."

"It's not him," Hoshina said immediately.

"I – "

"Yeah, yeah, you're fucking sorry," Ryuu interrupted, making Kotoko's face flush red with shame.

"Ultimate Analyst?" Ryo asked, scratching the back of his neck. "Oh! You mean his secret? I didn't understand it…"

"I'm the Ultimate Analyst," Shoma said as his shoulders crept up around his ears. "Junko Enoshima's successor."

"No, you're not," Hoshina said with more fierceness than Sumire thought possible. "You just share her talent, that's it."

"The talent was what drove her to despair," Kotoko said. "It's true. I don't want it to be, but it is."

"Did Junko cause the Tragedy?" Satsuki asked, "I wasn't taught a lot about it."

"Yep!" Monokuma piped up. He placed a paw over his dead, cruel heart. "Aw, Mommy. She even made me! Such a special, special woman. The Ship really needed someone like her." He mimed wiping a tear from his eye.

"So, did Shoma kill her then? Is that what this sounds like?" Fujiko asked, ignoring the huff that Monokuma gave when he was all but ignored. Satsuki slowly nodded, because those two were apparently unable to have independent thoughts. Ryo and Rudolph looked around the circle, eyes wide. Rudolph in particular looked incredibly scared.

"No!" Hoshina took a moment to calm herself. "I mean, he has an alibi."

"Hoshina, it's okay," Shoma told her, his voice surprisingly gentle.

"But you do have an alibi," the psychologist insisted. "Misa can vouch for you."

"What? Oh, yeah. I can," Misa said, apparently not paying that close attention to the conversation. Which was… odd. Sumire thought that the other girl had taken a strong interest in Shoma. Why wouldn't she be paying attention the moment he truly comes under the spotlight.

"Can you tell us the alibi, Misa?" Miyu asked.

The smuggler shrugged. "Kinda simple. I was with Shoma and Zettai in the lounge when the shot went off. Staring right at 'em. So it wasn't him. Or Zettai, for that matter. Unfortunately."

"Thank you," Zettai said dryly.

"Any time, BB."

"Okay, so that clears him. Both of them," Miyu said in a voice that allowed for no argument. Why would it? Misa had spoken. Kotoko looked like she wanted to say more, but kept her silence. "But thank you for mentioning secrets, Kotoko. This was a good segue."

"Oh, true. Lu… nope. Can't do it. Still need a nickname for you," Kat said. "Secrets were the motive. Should probably talk about who got what. And, uh," he suddenly looked very nervous, "talk about the scarier ones that actually aren't so scary once they're explained? Promise?"

"Should we find out the rest of the secrets first?" Satsuki asked. "Get it out of the way."

"Like ripping off a Band-Aid, huh?" Fujiko thought for a moment. "Yeah! Let's do it!"

"Yes, let's," Miyu agreed. She sounded far too casual about it.

Sumire could feel her heart climb up in her throat. She didn't _want_ her secret to get out. It was no one's business but hers! They didn't have the right to know something like that! No one did! She had it handled anyway. It wasn't an issue.

"We have six secrets, right?" Shoma asked.

"Fucking hell. No mercy, huh, kid?" It was unclear whom Ryuu was speaking to. Maybe just the room as a whole. Sumire found herself inclined to agree with him.

She missed doing that.

"Let's just go down this one by one then," Sumire said, even as she mentally disconnected herself from the words leaving her lips. Her hands only shook a little as she pulled up the truth bullet labeled **Secrets**. "I hate my siblings for leaving me behind with my parents."

Silence.

Finally, Kotoko raised her hand, her eyes wet. She refused to look at anyone, even when Hoshina softly called her name. Why would – Oh. Sumire should have realized it sooner. So she was from _that_ Moto family.

"Okay, next," Miyu said, probably harsher than she originally intended. Sumire would like to think that the genetic engineer simply wanted to put Kotoko out of her misery, but she doubted that it was that simple.

"I know that my dream is impossible," Sumire read aloud. For a long time, no one moved. By just by going off the expressions on everyone's face, it was clear whom this secret belonged to.

* * *

 **Selected An Ultimate**

 **Who's secret is it?**

 **-Fujiko Ozawa-**

* * *

 _It can only be you._

"Fujiko," Sumire said. The navigator pouted.

"It's not impossible!" she insisted. "I just need to wait until we get to a planet with a lot of water first!"

Sumire could almost see Hoshina make a mental note to talk to Fujiko about realistic expectations.

"Fujiko has mine. My secret." All eyes turned to Satsuki, who tried valiantly to not look like she wanted to floor to open up and swallow her whole. "Apologies. I just… want to get it over with." Fujiko reached out to grab her hand. She gave it a comforting squeeze, which the astronomer returned before letting go.

"Next one then," Miyu said. "I orchestrated Itami's death. Don't be shy now. Speak up!"

But let's be honest for a moment. No one there thought that the secret belong to Hoshina. The only viable options still available where either Sumire or Zettai. And she knew that her secret was something else. But still, the truth of it didn't register at first.

Sumire turned to look at Zettai. For a moment, she thought that she saw fear flash in his eyes, but immediately dismissed the notion. "I know that it's not me," she said. "And I highly doubt it's Hoshina."

"You sure about that?" he asked.

"Do you honestly believe that Hoshina could do that?" she countered. He looked at the psychologist out of the corner of his eye. Again, an emotion flashed in his eyes, too quick for Sumire to pick it out.

"Fine," Zettai said, even as the smirk formed on his face and he pulled himself up to his full height, his head tilted just so to convey unshakable confidence that went well past the point of arrogance. "Yes, it's my secret. I pulled the strings so that Itami would die. Happy?"

That declaration and the unrepentant way that it was said was more than enough to shock the room into silence. It was deafening, like a shrill ringing in her ears. No one moved. She could barely breathe. Any word, any sound at all would shatter the rocketing tension, even as Miyu tried with all her might to force sounds out of her throat.

Sumire could only stare at him blankly. He had done it. He had actually done it. The sudden buzzing of thirteen Monopads updating their truth bullets removed any doubt about that. She had had no idea. He betrayed her, went behind her back, completely ignored the plans and lists that they had made together. And she had no idea. Not even an inkling of suspicion.

Drowning.

She was drowning again and again and again and she couldn't even tell in which direction she needed to swim in order to break the surface.

A shriek pierced the air as Miyu finally gave up on coherent words and just launched herself across the trial room at Zettai, nearly tripping over the side of her stand in her haste to reach him. But even before she could make it halfway, Misa was at her side, catching her wrist and pulling her into a trapping embrace. Miyu still struggled as tears slipped silently down her cheeks, of course she did, but Misa held firm, whispering something that only the other girl could hear.

"Hey! Get back to your trial stands now, or face immediate punishment! I will not have common brawls in my courtroom!" Monokuma declared. Misa adjusted her hold on the other girl just enough to be able to flip him off.

"What a pathetic display," Zettai said.

"What the fuck!" The words burst out of Fujiko without any kind of permission or forethought. Sumire had dimly wondered when the navigator would say something. She was never the type to stand by quietly while something was going on, for better or worse.

"Shut. Up."

Misa barely even looked at the tactician as she delivered her warning, her eyes darting around the circle even as she appeared to devote most of her attention to comforting the now audibly crying girl in her arms. But there wasn't any anger in her tone, at least not to the extent that Sumire had been expecting.

And that's when all of the color truly drained from Sumire's face.

That wasn't the response of someone who had been blindsided by an awful secret, one that revealed an unashamed monster in their midst. That was the response of someone who had already had time to process things. It was the warning a mother would give to a child about the run out into the street into the path of an oncoming truck. Meant to protect more than scold, even if the child was known to purposefully seek out insects to squish as he giggled with glee. There was only one reason why that would be.

Misa already knew his secret, and she decided to side with him anyway.

For a moment, all Sumire could see was an image from a few hours ago. She had been investigating alone when she looked over to see Zettai, Misa, and Miyu standing in front of the window. Even though Misa had been closer to Miyu, facing her as she talked, Sumire had been struck by just how much of a pair Misa and Zettai were.

Two long, lean figures, dressed in matching black and red, absolute confidence radiating off of them with every breath. The conniving, evil king and his brash, warrior queen standing side by side in front of a bloodstained window, united, even as they pretended otherwise.

United, even when his brash, warrior queen had looked quiet and vulnerable and so, so tired as she sat in front of that same window with her knees pulled up to her chest like a young girl in the dark, in the late hours of the night, in front of the silent stars.

* * *

 **So, the cat is finally out of the bag. I'm sure that this** **will end perfectly civil... But yeah! Hope you enjoyed part one of the trial! Poll is still up on my profile if you still need to vote.**

 **Until next time!**


	20. Chapter Two Part VIII

**So, this chapter is a lot longer than I was expecting, which is actually a lot of fun! Even if it was exhausting to write. But here we are at part two of Trial Two. I hope that it's been worth the wait!**

 **Prince PokePersona: Hey! Name change! I didn't notice until now. I'm glad that last chapter gave you some kind of closure. Hopefully this chapter will give you more. Or at least be rather cathartic. I think a couple of people want Miyu to punch Zettai in the face, but we'll see what happens.**

 **TheRoseShadow21: I'm glad that you like Sumire's POV and thought that it was** **different narratively! It's been a really fun experience stepping out of Misa's head for a bit and visiting hers. I might have to do something similar again in the future.**

 **Shirasaur: Shoma is very funny. I've really enjoyed bringing him more into interactions with other people. And Fujiko might have one of the saddest secrets. It's not heavy like Zettai's is, but there is something definitely wistful and melancholy about it. Hopefully she lives along enough to sail!**

 **Lupus Overkill: Okay, I honestly don't even know where to begin. But I am super relieved that you've been happy with how I've written Sumire! Sumire was a bit of a tough nut to crack, but I've loved exploring the situation from her eyes, especially since she is so different from Misa. I'm really glad those differences came through. We'll see if your theories are right!**

* * *

She knew.

It was surprising just how much that hurt. Sumire and Misa had never been close. They weren't friends. They were barely even allies. She was headstrong and impulsive and far too flippant on most things, but she had been a kind of sun that everyone else could revolve around, for good or for ill. A center where everyone was welcome, provided you didn't threaten her first. But if Misa had known about Zettai's actions, had accepted it, had decided to support and stand by him as his queen regardless…

Sumire placed both handles on the railings of her podium, knees suddenly feeling weak. This wasn't even beginning to consider the severity of Zettai's secret as well. For some reason, it felt so much more real now that she had a face to assign to the action. This was all his fault. Tsuyoshi's tragic death, Itami's horrifying execution, Ryuu's exile and murderous intents towards her, it all went back to him. And if Ryuu had done something ridiculously stupid and killed Shouko, then that blood would be on Zettai's hands as well.

And Misa was okay with that.

"Breathe," Shoma muttered. He stared straight ahead to where Misa and Miyu still stood in the center of the room. There was no trace of anger or disgust on his face. If anything, he almost looked impressed in a vague, disinterred sort of way, like a pet dog had brought home a strangely colored rock. No, his anger was saved for when his eyes flicked up to Zettai. A small, still function part of Sumire's brain found that interesting, and filed it away for later when it could be better examined.

Hoshina looked over at the pair. Whatever she saw must have confirmed her own suspicions because she squeezed her eye shut for a few moments. "Oh, Misa," she whispered.

So they both knew as well. Shoma was apparently smart enough that he could have figured it out in the moment, but Hoshina obviously had some kind of prior knowledge. Had Misa said something to her? Confided in her at some point?

"I said get back to your places now," Monokuma growled, jumping off of his throne to stalk towards the pair of girls.

Misa glared at him. "Fuck off. We're a bit busy at the moment."

Miyu came back to herself, almost visibly pushing away her rage and grief at the sight of Monokuma's now beet red face. "I'm okay," she sad shakily. "We can go back now. It's fine. We just need to get him for this murder."

Zettai rolled his eyes. "Haven't you been listening? I have an airtight alibi for Shouko's murder. It wasn't me. But if you're so determined to kill everyone here, please, be my guest."

"You - !" Apparently, that was enough to spark Miyu's anger again, as the genetic engineer made another attempt to launch herself towards him, breaking free of Misa's grip. But Monokuma was right there, and one push of his paw was enough to send her sprawling.

"That's enough!" the bear declared. "Five minute break, since you bastards can't behave."

* * *

 **CLASS TRIAL SUSPSENDED**

 **ALL RISE**

* * *

The harsh lights of the trial room dimmed for a moment, and everyone seemed to let out a collective breath. The tension was still there, however, a live wire running through a puddle, just waiting for someone to make one, wrong move and set it off. And Misa, being Misa, was to one who did so.

"Hey! You can't just push us around! We aren't breaking any rules!"

"You're really testing my patience today, aren't you?" Monokuma countered as Kat got off his stand in order to help Miyu to her feet. "Acting like you've done nothing wrong like some perfect angel." Yes, an angel. Like Lucifer.

"You know me," Misa said. Monokuma smirked for a moment before reaching up and grabbing Misa's braid. She yelped as he harshly tugged down, forcing her to bend at the waist so that her face was inches away from his.

"Misa!" Kotoko gasped.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Ryo told him as both Kat and Miyu took quick steps forward to intervene. Misa threw up one hand, motioning for them to stop as the other seized Monokuma's wrist. The bear started whispering something to her, although it was too faint for Sumire to make out the words.

And that is when she saw it. Misa's jacket had ridden up a few inches, exposing the small of her back. Right in the center was a glint of dull, grey metal. Even as she watched, Misa bent her knees so that she could straighten her posture, hiding the strip of metal from view.

 _Gun_.

What else could it be? She must have gotten it from somewhere. Maybe she went back to the crime scene and stole it when no one was looking. Or maybe the second gun was never missing in the first place. Maybe she was the killer. No, wait. Sumire took a breath. That didn't make sense. Misa had an alibi, and partners or not, Sumire doubted that Zettai would cover for her if it meant his death. But still, the fact that she was armed was disturbing to say the least.

On instinct, she looked across the circle to see Ryuu already staring at her. He nodded once and sudden clarity flooded through Sumire, followed quickly by relief. He had seen it too, had recognized it and the problems it presented. He smirked, although it was visibly tense.

Monokuma let go of Misa's hair, and the smuggler stood up with a huff. There was something unsteady in her expression, but she quickly wiped away any traces of it with one of her trademark grins. She turned back to her friends as Monokuma returned to his throne, bumping shoulders with each of them as the trio spoke in low tones.

"Are you okay?" Rudolph asked. Misa turned her head, grinning softening into a smile.

"Relax. I'm fine."

"Alright, break's over. Everyone back to your places. Now."

Misa hesitated, like she was going to ignore Monokuma once again, but Miyu squeezed her hand and she relented.

Sumire breathed deeply as the lights flared back up. They would have to start this again, and she was already dreading the immediate direction that this would take. The initial focus would, understandably, be on Zettai's announcement, but what good would it really do if he couldn't have killed Shouko? It would just be an argument for the sake of making others feel better. Cathartic in the moment, maybe, but utterly pointless.

And then the focus would turn to the two remaining secrets left.

"Well, what are you bastards waiting for?" Monokuma asked. "Begin!"

* * *

 **CLASS TRIAL IN SESSION**

 **ALL RISE**

* * *

"Okay, but we're still going to fucking talking about this, right?" Fujiko demanded, glaring daggers at a distinctly unimpressed Zettai. "Because seriously! You're a monster!"

"I agree," Miyu said flatly. "How could you do something like that!"

"What? Kill someone that was deemed important?" he asked innocently, and Miyu's face went white. Sumire's was probably the same color, judging from her sudden wave of vertigo. Was this really his plan? To tear them down with him? Was he truly that spiteful?

That should not have even been a question. Of course he was.

"Important?" Ryo asked, titling his head to the side like a particularly curious bird.

"I'm sorry, but I feel like most of us are missing something here," Kotoko said. "Not to cause another argument or fight! But this seems, well, important."

"Why don't you ask Sumire or Miyu?" Zettai asked. "My words are a tad limited at the moment."

"You could ask Misa too," Sumire said without truly taking a moment to think about it. The words simply slipped out. Zettai's smirk grew colder as he shrugged. She didn't need to turn her head to feel Misa staring at her. There was no real heat to her gaze, but it drilled into the side of her skull.

"Oooookay?" Kat said, looking around uncertainly. "Guess I'll be that guy then? Chess Queen? Girl That I Still Really Need A Good Nickname For?" He hesitated. "Solo?"

There was silence for a few seconds as the three girls just looked at each other, Misa with her hands up in a very clear 'Nuh uh, not me!' gesture.

"You said 'kill.'" Sumire turned to look at Shoma, internally very grateful for the interruption. The faux gamer stared down at his shoes. Still, there was this righteous anger to his voice. "So why the hell aren't you on trial?"

Monokuma's giggle was all the answer they really needed, but the bear decided to elaborate anyways. "Because a murder doesn't count if you don't do the deed yourself! You can't just talk someone into committing a murder! That's the lazy coward's day out! Seize the day! Bash someone's skull in! Strangle them until their eyes pop! Only then are you worthy of escaping."

"Whoa. Can I borrow that for my next story?" Rudolph asked. Startled, the entire group burst out into nervous laughter. Even Ryuu contributed a chuckle or two.

"Fucking hell, kid," he said.

"What? That was a really scary paragraph!"

"Maybe we should focus on the secrets again," Hoshina said with a gentle firmness. "As… upsetting as Zettai's secret is, we already know that he didn't kill Shouko."

"Can we vote for him anyway?" Miyu muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. She was surprisingly bloodthirsty, wasn't she? No wonder Misa liked her so much.

"Do we want to talk about the one that is explicitly about murder?" Satsuki asked quietly, carefully looking in the exact opposite direction of Ryuu.

"Can ya fucking read, kid?" Ryuu growled. "Wrong girl died."

"Thank you, Ryuu. I appreciate that," Sumire told him. Bastard. Maybe their moment of connection earlier had been a fluke. Or a ghost of what used to be.

"But if you get away with Shouko's murder, then Sumire would die as well," Satsuki said. "Correct?"

"Please. Like he's smart enough to pull something like that off," Sumire said.

"Thanks, Sumire. 'Preciate it," Ryuu mimicked. She smiled at him without any true warmth. She did not even want to begin to consider the astronomer's proposed situation. If Ryuu had truly done something like this in order to get to her, then she would be responsible in some way. The idea was… frightening to consider, so she did not.

"Ape Face doesn't really have an alibi," Kat said thoughtfully, propping his head up with one hand. "Could actually be him. He likes guns too! Bang, bang."

"Says the fucking terrorist," Ryuu said. Misa audibly sighed. Kat looked stricken for a moment, but found some kind of bravado that would not last under any kind of stress at all.

"I am not," he stated.

"Nah? How many people ya blown up, kid?"

"One, and you're looking at him. Why? How many people have you killed?"

"Fuck you."

"Not an answer, Ape Face."

"You… you're a terrorist?" Ryo asked, soft and scared. Kat immediately snapped out of his argument. "But you're nice! And my friend! And terrorists are only bad people, but you're not a bad person! Right?"

"Tarzan…"

"Right!" Rudolph piped up, certainty burning in his eyes despite the tremble in his voice. "Monokuma is just lying!"

"Hey! I take offense to that! All my secrets are completely true! You got my verified seal of approval!"

"Yeah, well, your information is apparently out of date because I left!" Kat said. "Yes, okay, I was a Black Dove, but I ditched when they started hurting people. I never want to do that! I promise."

"You can believe him," Misa said, looking around as if daring anyone to disagree with her, not that anyone would. Hardly anyone ever did. "My secret's wrong too. It's absolute bullshit. I'm not scared of – "

She yelped as sparks flew off her podium. She yanked her hand away from where it had been resting, cradling it carefully to her chest. Sumire immediately pulled her hands away as well, in case the sparks decided to migrate.

"Misa! Are you okay?" Miyu asked, going up on her tiptoes in an attempt to better see over Kotoko's head. "What the hell happened?"

"Upupupupupup!" All eyes turned to Monokuma, who now held a controller with a large, red button in the center. "What do you do when your bitch won't stop yapping? Why, buy her an electric shock collar, of course!" His grin slid off his face in the time between two heartbeats. "Shaddup! If you keep breaking your end of the deal, why should I hold up mine?"

All of the anger and fury that had been rightfully building in the smuggler vanished in a puff of smoke. Her eyes darted over to Kat before finding their way down to the floor. Despite recent revelations, Sumire almost felt bad for her. She had folded so quickly, it almost seemed to be against her very core. Except, maybe not. Thinking back, when did Misa ever really stand for something instead of simply running away, especially when she was made to feel threatened? She wasn't on the fight end of the spectrum, but the _flight._ That was certainly something that could be exploited.

"Umm… yeah. So, my secret sounds scary, but I swear it isn't!" Kat said when the silence dragged on for a few moments too long. Most everyone was still looking at Misa with varying degrees of concern. Or contempt, depending on whether or not you were a bounty hunter. But Zettai's look was the only one that she responded to, sending a half-shrug his direction when he caught her eye. Sumire glanced at Miyu to see if she caught the exchange. Oh, she definitely did.

"None of this is actually helping," Shoma said with an aggravated huff. "We keep talking about people who already have established alibis. We need to move on before Monokuma decides he's bored with us again. Come on, this shouldn't be so hard!"

"Well… what about the secret that Shouko had?" Rudolph asked. He gasped suddenly. "Maybe someone found out that she had their secret and they killed her because of it!"

"Sounds right to me!" Fujiko agreed. Sumire's stomach flipped. "Who do we still have left?"

"Sumire and myself," Hoshina said after a slight hesitation. Evidently, she wanted her secret reveal just as much as Sumire did. Which made sense, given what it had to be. If Sumire thought that her secret was an intensely private manner and no one else's business, then she couldn't fathom how Hoshina felt. Well, she could, but they were very different people. Sumire had had time to process that particular aspect of her life and come to terms with it, as tenuous as those terms may be. Hoshina was too soft to do the same.

"Hoshina has an alibi. It'd be a waste of time to discuss it," Shoma said immediately.

"Hey, that's not fair! We all told everyone our secrets!" Fujiko protested.

"Besides, as I'm sure someone will soon point out, I do not have a solid alibi," Sumire said, fighting to keep her voice level and disinterested.

"But you were with us," Kotoko said.

"But I left. And while I saw Kat, I doubt he saw me."

Kat chewed on the inside of his cheek, but eventually shook his head. As expected. She could hardly expect him to lie for her as easily as she had for him. This was fine, and maybe even worked into her slowly developing plans. Now, he still hasn't repaid the favor.

"So what's your fucking secret, kid?" Ryuu asked. Fear welled up in her for a moment, but she resolutely pushed it down.

* * *

 **What is Sumire's secret?**

 **A)** " **I can feel my sanity slipping"**

 **B)** " **I'm scared I'll be like my father"**

 **C) None of these. Monokuma lied**

* * *

And there was the pitying look, right on cue. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that I had your secret, or I would have reached out and tried to talk to you about it," Hoshina told her earnestly. "I was trying to figure it out. I just never thought – "

Sumire put up a hand to cut her off. "I'm fine. I really don't need to talk to you about it." Hoshina's smile slipped for a moment. Clearly, this would not be the end of this particular discussion. Oh, joy of joys. Still, she kept her head up as everyone else stared at her, meeting Zettai's probing look head on.

Yes, there were times that she felt as if she was drowning, as if she was viewing reality from underneath of sea of choppy waves with chains around her ankles stopping her from ever breaking the surface. But those times always passed as soon as she reasserted control again. And yes, maybe they were happening more and more frequently here, but control was within her grasp again. Destroy Zettai's queen, regain her knight, and everything would be fine. She would be able to breathe again, and she'd never let that control go ever again. She'd strangle it dead if she had to.

"Wait, that means that Shouko had Hoshina's secret," Miyu said, and the trial moved on. Well, slightly.

"I'm scared I'll be like my father," Hoshina said. "Yes, Shouko apparently had me." Shoma looked away, despite the psychologist clearly looking to him for some kind of comfort or strength. Well. That felt familiar. Misa opened her mouth to say something, but one look at Monokuma had her closing her mouth with an audible _click._ The bear grinned.

"Why? Is your Dad mean?" Ryo asked.

"Shut up," Shoma snapped. "We didn't pry into your secret."

"Shoma, it's okay," Hoshina said.

"Yah, kid. Why don't we fucking pry, huh?" Ryuu asked, crossing his arms. "Just bein' fair."

"Except that Hoshina can't be the killer, so there's no point. I realize you're incredibly dull but do try and keep up. Unless…" Shoma trailed off deliberately, "unless you're trying to deliberately derail us."

"Ya wanna fucking say that again?"

"We already established that the killer used the vent to escape, so they must have been downstairs. Now, who do we know that was downstairs with no alibi?" There was something dark and savage in his voice now, which Sumire had come to expect. It was still unnerving, though, especially when he got a certain look in his eye. She made a mental note to never deliberately endanger Hoshina. Ryuu, however, was so visibly furious that she doubted he had a lot of higher cognitive function left, because he immediately went after the second person you never want to deliberately endanger.

A forced calm settled over him. "What 'bout Miyu?"

Misa immediately stood up straight. Miyu looked around, obviously confused. "What about me? I was upstairs. That should clear me?"

"Yes, we saw Miyu almost immediately," Hoshina said. Kotoko nodded in agreement.

"Yah, right outside da fucking door," Ryuu said.

"You mean the door that was locked from the inside?" Miyu asked. "Wow, you're really grasping for straws here, aren't you? Maybe Shoma was right."

"Or maybe," Kotoko said, "he's worried about being a scapegoat? It's easy to gang up on someone you don't really like." Her eyes widened in something akin to panic. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I just, um, I'm sorry." Ryuu shrugged indifferently, which Kotoko apparently took to mean apology accepted.

"Fine," Miyu said with a sigh. "Then is there any evidence that absolutely proves the killer used the vent to escape?"

Wait, there actually was. It was Sumire's favorite piece of evidence, too. She had felt far too validated when it was discovered, but it was proof. Proof that she was an intellectual force to be reckoned with, that her hunches and conclusions were correct and worth pursuing, that she was worthy of a gag order as well because she could be a threat during the trial. Although, watching Misa go through it, that last point was looking decidedly less appealing. But regardless, she did have evidence here.

* * *

 **Select a Truth Bullet**

 **-Bloody Paper Towel-**

* * *

"I do. Misa and I found something in the art room, where the vent lets out. There was a bloody paper towel in the trash. The killer must have bee standing so close to Shouko that they got blood on them, and had to wipe it off quickly before rejoining the group. I'm sure we would have noticed someone with blood all over their face."

"So?" Ryuu asked and Sumire didn't even try to hold back her sigh. Please, just work with her for a moment here.

"What do you mean 'so'? It can't be me then!" Miyu said. It as

"Who fucking says?"

"Common fucking sense! That's who!"

Ryo raised his hand. "Wait, why is that common sense?" Don't say it. "I'm confused." Of course. It was the natural order of things. Fine, let's settle this once and for all then.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Observatory Door | Observatory Lights | Tape**

 **Ryo:** I don't get it.

 **Miyu:** What don't you get, Ryo? It's very self-explanatory.

 **Hoshina:** The killer must have gone downstairs.

 **Fujiko:** Yeah… well… what if…

 **Ryo:** Why didn't they just go back up? _**There was nothing stopping them.**_

 **Rudolph:** There wasn't?

 **Ryo:** Yeah! _**Or… is it no?"**_

 **Fujiko:** Yeah! What if the killer just ran really, really fast!

 **Fujiko:** They just got to the elevator first and _**used it to go back to the second floor!**_

 **Hoshina:** Was there even enough time for them to do that?

 **Miyu:** And by killer, you mean me?

 **Fujiko:** Well, no…

 **Miyu:** Um, yeah! I was the only one alone upstairs!

 **Ryo:** I'm still confused.

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Tape**

 _I'm sorry, but I have something to say!_

 **BREAK!**

* * *

No one seemed more surprised than Kotoko herself when she spoke up. Still, she pushed on. "I can solve this argument. There was tape holding the elevator door open on the second floor. It kept it from reaching the bottom floor." Ryo looked at her blankly. "Um, the killer couldn't have run back to the elevator because it wouldn't have shown up?"

"Unless they did that after they went back up to the second floor?" Fujiko suggested, although it was clear that she didn't quite believe her own words. Miyu narrowed her eyes at her, clearly annoyed.

"Fujiko, you were upstairs! You guys came out literally seconds after the shot. You'd have to be a superhero to run that fast, and last I checked, we don't have any Ultimate Speedsters. Unless someone else is lying about their talent?"

Shoma made a face that was dangerously close to a pout. It did not suit him.

"So… does that just leave Ryuu?" Rudolph asked with wide eyes. "Are we done?"

"Yep! Definitely done! Totally!" Fujiko said, as if she wasn't completely suspicious before. Sumire looked at her for a long moment before turning her attention to the fidgeting girl next to her.

"What about Satsuki? You don't have an alibi either, do you?" she asked. She deliberately ignored the fact that they never quite finalized her alibi either, but she obviously knew that she wasn't the killer so it wasn't that large of an issue.

Satsuki looked down at the ground. "No, I don't. I was in my room for a long time."

"So, it's those two then," Miyu said. "How do we pick?"

Ryuu just shook his head, not even bothering with words. Good, they would probably only harm him, not that Sumire cared in particular. Of course not. Okay, yes, fine, she did care despite her best attempts not to.

Kat scratched the back of his neck. "I kinda got an idea? Not a good one, but it is one."

"Draw straws?" Misa asked before clapping her hands over her mouth. "Shit, shit, shit! It just slipped out! It's really hard to be quiet, okay?"

Monokuma shocked her regardless.

Zettai sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Kat shook his head. "No not that. And sheesh, Solo, stop talking. What if the mad Doktor really did kill herself? Like an assisted suicide thing."

"That would mean that somebody helped her," Hoshina said. "But what makes you say that?"

Kat shrugged. "I dunno. It fits, right? There wasn't any struggle."

"But wouldn't that just mean that we vote for Shouko?" Kotoko asked. "I don't want to do that."

"Didn't you hear Monokuma?" Shoma asked with a scoff. Hoshina shot him a look of reproach, and his face softened a little. "He just said that the blackened is the one who actually does the killer. If Kat is actually right, and I doubt it, then we still need to vote for one of them."

"Gee, thanks, Fashionista."

"It wasn't me," Satsuki insisted quietly.

"What?" Ryuu asked.

"It wasn't me."

"Not fucking me either!"

"I would trust Ryuu to kill me!" Ryo declared with a happy nod. "Satsuki isn't the killer. She's too skittish! Like a rabbit or a fawn!" He frowned suddenly. "But Ryuu is very scary. Maybe Doktor Shouko wouldn't be comfortable talking to him."

Oh, what even was this conversation? "This isn't even any proof that Kat's theory is correct," Sumire snapped, wincing a little internally when he looked down right ashamed. That was not what she intended. "My point is that we shouldn't base anything off that just yet."

"I sense a discussion coming," Fujiko said, shifting her weight worriedly from foot to foot. Satsuki pressed her lips together in a thin line.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLETS LOADED**

 **Observatory Lights | Monokuma File #2 | Secrets**

 **Zettai:** Oh, this will be amusing.

 **Miyu:** Fuck. Off.

 **Zettai:** What are you going to do? Kill me?

 **Miyu:** Monokuma, can you please just shock this fucking asshole?"

 **Kotoko:** Um, I don't think this was supposed to be the discussion…

 **Kat:** It's kinda funny, though. _**I'm down for shocking Bathroom Buddy.**_

 **Shoma:** _**There's no proof that Shouko was working with her killer beforehand.**_

 **Kat:** _**There's not proof that she wasn't though!**_ That's why I brought it up.

 **Satsuki:** Are we split evenly? I don't want to scrum debate. It makes me dizzy.

 **Shoma:** Occam's Razor. The simpler answer is more likely.

 **Kat:** That you doing your fancy Analyst stuff, Fashionista?

 **Shoma:** Do not call me that.

 **Kotoko:** _**I'm sorry, but this is pointless.**_

 **Truth Bullet Selected: Observatory Lights**

 _You might actually have an idea there._

 **BREAK!**

* * *

Shoma shoots a flat look in Sumire's direction. She shrugs. "What? I am agreeing with you."

"There's no proof, Chess Queen?"

"No. If anything, there's proof supporting our side. The Observatory lights. They were off."

"So?" Rudolph asked.

"Why?" Sumire countered. "Why plunge the room in near total darkness if you know you need to be able to move quickly?"

"To disorient your target," Shoma answered as if they had preplanned it. Well, that was surprisingly nice to see. "It can give you more than enough time to get close. Especially if you know the space well and have practiced moving through it in the dark beforehand."

"A bounty hunter would be good at that," Miyu said.

"Fucking hell."

"An astronomer probably works in the dark a lot too, though," Kat said, scratching the back of his neck yet again. Fujiko rounded on him.

"Would you just leave her alone? Satsuki didn't kill anyone! She could never do that!"

"Hey! You accused me earlier!"

"You were suspicious!"

"And she's not?"

"Can we please stop fighting?" Kotoko asked, but was ignored.

"No! She's not!"

"It's a fifty percent chance it's her!"

"What about the window?" Hoshina interrupted, her voice firm enough to make both Kat and Fujiko hesitate before continuing their argument. "The one with the bloodstain? Could that be useful?"

"It… does feel convenient," Satsuki admitted. "Am I allowed to say that?"

"Say what, kid?"

"That the bloodstain is in the middle of the window and it feels weird? Things are rarely that perfect."

"Ha! Point for me!" Kat said with a grin.

"Oh, now you like her," Fujiko said with a huff.

Sumire ignored them for the moment. Satsuki did have a point. Nature was rarely perfect, and there was no reason to think that a murder would be too. If Shouko was frightened and trying to run to the door, then what were the chances that the killer fired the gun right when she was at the center of the window? The same process applied for if Shouko was confused and wary, staying mostly still, but searching for whoever was in the room with her. The killer obviously got very close to her. Shouko would have seen them, tried to move away. It's not like there was a struggle; there are no signs that the killer grabbed her. Was Kat's idea actually right?

"That does feel a little staged," Kotoko said.

Rudolph nodded after a minute. "Yeah! Like if the killer wanted to send a message or something! Or if a demon or something manipulative did it!" Miyu pointedly looked at Zettai, and nearly everyone in the circle became significantly less comfortable. Zettai pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What about the door?" Kotoko asked, now apparently on some kind of train of thought. "Does that fall on one end or the other?" Silence fell as everyone thought for a moment. "They obviously did it for a reason."

* * *

 **Why did the killer lock the door?**

 **A) To complicate the crime scene**

 **B) To keep people in**

 **C) To keep people out**

 **D) It locked by itself**

* * *

"It was locked from the inside, correct?" Sumire asked, although, frankly, she already knew the answer to that. If she didn't explicitly lay out the details, someone whose name began with the letter R was going to get lost. "That wouldn't do anything to stop Shouko, though. It might make her slow down for a moment, but that wasn't a complicated lock. She just had to get the door open a crack, and the killer would be in trouble. Especially with Miyu right there."

"But it stopped us," Miyu said, a curious glint in her eye. "And gave the killer time to escape! The gunshot was so loud that everyone came running right away. The killer must have planned for that!" Her enthusiasm soon deflated. "I don't know if that helps us, though."

Misa gasped suddenly, loud enough that all eyes turned on her. Realization, shock, acceptance, and finally anger cycled through her face. The smuggler locked eyes with Sumire, and something akin to apology appeared there as well, as if she needed her pity.

Wait.

 _Did she know?_

What else could that reaction be from? Did something click and she discovered who the killer was? Again? Before Sumire did? Seriously? Why did this keep happening? _She_ was supposed to be the one to solve it this time, not Misa!

"What is it, Misa?" Ryo asked, but before she could do so much as open her mouth, Monokuma waved this electric shock buzzer in the air.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not another word!"

"What? Why? We asked her a question! Solo's allowed to answer direct questions!"

"She's talked too much already," Monokuma said. Misa just stared at the damned bear. Her anger was palpable, rolling off her in almost visible waves as her right hand went straight to her still empty holsters. She caught herself, though, and after a moment slammed her hands down on the podium in frustration. Again and again, each hit even louder than the next. If the podiums were metal it would have been deafening.

Wait.

"Hey! Don't break my stuff!"

Misa flipped Monokuma off, still seething, but her eyes darted around the circle. Sumire barely noticed when they finally landed on her and they closed in relief. The water that had been lapping at the edges of her mind came rushing back in, and she couldn't breathe, never mind think. Her core just felt hollow. Really, she should have been better prepared for this. It was always a very real possibility. History was never kind to participants of a Killing Game. Very few survived, and they were almost never from set pairs or tight knit groups. Not that they were a pair. Sumire had nipped that idea in the bud. What if she hadn't? Would she be staring down a very different killer right now? Would they even be here in the first place? Or would she be dead for daring to side with someone everyone else abandoned.

Still, she needed to test her new realization.

"Hey, Ryuu," she said at a normal volume. It was hard to fight the urge to project for the group, but she did it. Ryuu looked at her after a few seconds, confused.

"Ya say something?"

Sumire nodded and kept her volume the same. "I did. Could you repeat what I said?" After a moment, "Please?"

"Can't hear ya, kid. Fucking mumbling.'"

Ryo looked up at him, his brow furrowing. "No, she's not. I can hear her okay." Kat, standing on the other side of him, nodded in agreement.

"Chess Queen's a little quiet, but I can make it out fine."

"Da fuck you want?"

"For you to confess," Sumire said, now projecting properly. Her voice was completely fragile, and she hated it, but there was nothing to be done about it now. "Make the rest of this trial as quick and painless as possible."

"Told you," Shoma said.

Sumire barely heard him. Ryuu just stared at her, and there was betrayal and hurt in his eyes, but also panic, and that more than anything is what hardened Sumire's heart against what had to be done next. After all, if Ryuu was really so willing to kill her, then she should try her best to return the favor. That was what friends did. Right?

"Fucking hell," he finally said. "Ya really gonna do this to me? Again?"

"Everything fits," Sumire insisted. "From the very first moment I met you, you were obsessed with Misa's guns. You were the first person to explore the Observatory and could have easily found the vent. You have no alibi." She listed each point off on her fingers, but for once, the motion wasn't calming. Misa was grinning, though, despite Monokuma trying his best to turn her to ash solely through the heat of his glare.

"Fuck you, bitch!"

"Heh. You wish," Kat muttered and Sumire could have hit him. Ryuu actually did hit him, simply punched him right in the face, the blow landing on his right eyebrow. The explosives engineer staggered back a few steps, hand clutching his face.

"Hey!" Miyu yelled. "The fuck was that for?" Ryo quickly pressed himself against the opposite end of his podium, as far away from Ryuu as he could get.

"Fuck you!" he yelled right back. "Fuck all you!" He pointed a finger straight at Sumire. "Ya not fucking screwing me this time!"

Sumire raised her chin and threw her shoulders back. Fine then, if this was how he wanted to play it. A knight was useful, but saving it meant nothing if you lost the entire game because of it. Yes, exactly. She repeated that thought over and over as Ryuu continued to rant about the unfairness of it all. If she did that enough times, it might make this part easier.

* * *

 **ARMAMENT ARGUMENT**

 **Ryuu:** Fucking hell!

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Not ya fucking scapegoat!

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Now I really wanna kill ya.

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Ya not fucking screwing me this time!

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Forget 'bout Satsuki?

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** All your fault, kid!

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Fucking hell…

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Not gonna die like this.

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Where's ya fucking alibi, kid?

 **BREAK!**

 **Ryuu:** Fuck you, bitch!

 **BREAK!**

 **FINAL BLOW**

 **Ryuu:** I didn't fucking kill Shouko!

 **HEAR | YOUR | LOSS | ING**

 _Please, you're embarrassing yourself._

 **ANSWER: YOUR HEARING LOSS**

 **BREAK!**

* * *

Ryuu simply stared at her dumbly. He had heard her. She was certain of that, but the reality of what exactly she had just said was fully sinking in. For the both of them.

Miyu raised her hand. "May I ask Misa a question?"

Monokuma rolled his eyes, tossing his controller to the side. "Ugh, fine."

"Can a gunshot damage your hearing?"

"Yep. Especially if the gun is right next to your head or you're shooting something close." She smirked at Ryuu. "Serves you right for stealing my babies." Hoshina should really talk to her about her unhealthy attachment to those things. "And guess who's hearing was been really bad all trial and investigation?"

Ryuu looked down at the floor, as if gathering his thoughts. Zettai sighed and stretched. "Am I allowed to talk now as well?"

"No." Wow, Miyu was right on that too. Oh, that will be interesting to watch, as long as him bringing up Itami's importance won't completely ruin them.

Ryuu looked back up, surveying the group, and smirked. Sumire's heart climbed into her throat. It was not a pleasant expression at all, but angry, vicious, twisted. Itami had been utterly beaten when faced with undeniable proof, the fight drained out of him. He had accepted what he had done. Ryuu was very, very different from Itami.

Faster than Sumire could react, Ryuu reached behind him and whipped out a gun from behind his back. Misa's missing gun. But how? Everyone had been searched! Poor Ryo pressed himself even further away from him while Kat stayed absolutely still.

"Don't fucking think about it!" Ryuu yelled, aiming the gun directly at Misa. She froze, one hand only a few scant inches away from where she had hidden her own gun. "Hands up!" Misa just stared at him. With a frustrated grunt, he swung the gun so that it pointed at Miyu instead. It was amazing just how quickly Misa's hands popped up, even as her entire energy shifted.

Once, Zettai had asked her why she had been so insistent that Misa joined their council. Despite what she had said at the time about the four of them being the brightest minds of the group, Misa had clearly been the odd one out and she had recognized it too. But that did not account for the second day of their imprisonment. Misa had joined the group that explored their new home a bit better, and there was one particular moment in which she took charge.

It was a little ridiculous, watching her count paces and assign people numbers to remember, but it got results. And more than that, it showed who Misa actually was. She hid herself behind a mischievous grin and an openness to talk to anyone and everyone, especially those who seemed to avoid contact at all cost. She toned herself down, made herself… not harmless, but not a threat either. At least, not a threat to you because she grinned at you and she almost seemed like a little girl pretending to be a smuggler than an actual criminal. But there was a moment right after she declared that there was dead space hiding in the wall where Misa let her guard down. Or maybe she brought it up, it was hard to tell. But she was doing exactly what had earned her her Ultimate title, and it showed, and it was terrifying.

Ryuu pretended to be in control, to have power when all he could do was yell and curse in the hopes of fooling people into believing him. Sumire and Zettai kept vice grips on power, refusing to let it flourish in the fears that it would slip away from them and leave them broken and useless. But Misa, Misa kept her power in the open palm of her hand, completely unconcerned about whether or not it would be there when she needed it. Because it would be. She would tear down the world if she needed to, and she could do it too if someone was stupid enough to push her into a truly small corner.

Why would she ever refuse to have that sitting at her council?

That same change happened the moment Ryuu pointed a gun at Miyu, and it persisted, even after he brought it back level with Misa again. The smuggler grinned, sharp and full of far too many teeth.

"Now. Where did you find that?" she asked.

"Fuck off."

"You know that's mine, right?"

"Always wanted a gun, kid."

Misa laughed and Ryuu adjusted the grip he had on the weapon. His hand started to shake, though. "Aw, you actually think you'll get to keep that."

"Don't fuck see why not," Ryuu told her. "Ain't dying in this hellhole."

"Monokuma won't just let you go," Miyu said. She almost seemed to be drawing strength from Misa, visible scared and worried but also mad as hell. Zettai was very much trying to be a nonentity, a strategy that Sumire wanted to match for the time being.

"Ryuu, you don't want to do this," Hoshina said in her calmest voice. "Please just put the gun down."

"Nah."

"We're still going to vote for you," Misa said. "You do know that, right? I mean, you literally have my missing gun. If Sumire didn't convince someone before…"

"Shut the fuck up!" The gun was shaking more now, but Misa kept pressing.

"You killed Shouko and tried to make it look like a suicide. Except you're so fucking stupid that you put the gun in the wrong hand. Seriously, Ryuu, have a little pride in your work."

"Did have to make it look like anything," Ryuu insisted.

"Wait, was I really right?" Kat asked, eyes immediately widening in fear as Ryuu glanced at him.

"Chick fucking asked for it. Turned her back on me and everything."

Something very dark and ugly passed over Misa, but it was gone soon enough and she heaved a dramatic sigh. "Yeah. Sure. What was it we said last time? Something about owning up to your actions?"

"Don't fucking know anything, bitch," Ryuu snarled and Misa's grin widened.

"Oh, you sure about that?"

* * *

 **CLOSING ARGUMENT**

 _Let me take you through it_

I know I haven't talked much this trial, but that doesn't stop me from being able to tell what happened. Though it does help to the blackened currently has a gun pointed at my face. Or is trying to. Aim's a little off, kid.

This murder has been planned for a while, ever since the blackened first saw my guns locked away in the display cases. They had collected every Monocoin that they could find in the hopes that they would be lucky enough to get my guns. With the murder weapon hopefully decided, they just needed a victim, a motive, and an opportunity.

Monokuma naturally provided a motive. The blackened was already feeling trapped, isolated, murderous, but to have the lovely Sumire know those feeling was just a step too far. But the blackened couldn't just kill her, as much as they may have wanted to since their secret would have made them the obvious suspect. They decided a more… roundabout way of killing her: committing a murder and getting away with it.

The blackened must have discovered the vent leading from the observatory into the art room when they had searched the top floor by themselves before anyone else had gotten there. This vent was why the murder happened in the observatory: it was a quick, natural escape route that would hopefully cast suspicion away from themselves.

On the day of the murder, the blackened used all of their Monocoins to get my guns and some duct tape. They took the elevator up to the second floor and used a piece of tape to keep the button pushed down. This kept the elevator from leaving the second floor and gave them time to create their alibi. The blackened then entered the observatory, where they saw Shouko.

Shouko was a random victim. It was just bad luck. The blackened didn't care who they killed. It just had to be in the observatory. I had confronted her about her secret a few minutes before, which made her run off in a huff. She probably chose the observatory because it was a quiet place to calm down. It was a cathartic, safe room. Or it was supposed to be, anyway. The blackened saw her there and decided to strike. They closed and locked the door, ensuring that they couldn't be interrupted, and turned off the lights to disorient Shouko. Then, they snuck up to her and shot her at point blank range. Or maybe Shouko wanted to and asked to die. I don't know. Honestly don't care. Doesn't matter.

Because there are two things that the blackened didn't realize about guns. One is that if you're too close to what you're shooting at, you're going to get blood on you. And two is that they are loud. Really loud. Can really screw up your hearing if you're not ready for it. But with the deed done, the killer was now on the clock. They dropped the gun, which landed by Shouko's left hand instead of right, and slipped through the vent. Once they got to the art room, they wiped the blood off them as quickly as they could and then ran for the elevator where they could act innocent with everyone else.

And there's only one person who could have pulled this off. If it wasn't obvious already, Shouko's killer is you, Ryuu Hagiwara, the Ultimate Bounty Hunter!

 **BREAK!**

* * *

"I said shut the fuck up!" Ryuu roared. He wasn't defeated, not yet, not even after Misa laid out his murder clearly and concisely. No, he was angry, and the unimpressed look on the smuggler's face only seemed to make him angrier. It had to be infuriating. Here he was with a gun in his hand, and Misa was commenting about how his aim was off.

"Oh, come on. Just give it – "

Ryuu squeezed the trigger and the gun went off.

Misa was right. They were surprisingly loud, especially when you weren't ready for it. Sumire immediately dropped down into a crouch, her hands still gripping the sides of the podium. Her ears rang with painful intensity but it still wasn't loud enough to drown out the frightened screams of the more childlike members of their group.

Sumire kept her head down and peered through the bars. Ryuu remained standing, shock frozen on his face. But even as she watched, she could see it twist and morph right back into rage again. Misa was the only other one still standing, although perhaps not for long. Her face was white, her legs shaky. But her eyes were still bright and angry and defiant, so defiant, despite the dark red stain slowly growing around the new hole in the bottom left corner of her torso.

He… he shot her.

He actually shot her.

"Bit harder when you're not right up to the person you're killing, huh?" Misa asked without any pain leaking into her voice. Instead, she was almost laughing at him. Her hands were still up, although they almost subconsciously drifted towards her wound. Was this a normal occurrence for her? How was she just acting like this was no big deal?

Miyu watched them with wide eyes and tight lips, practically vibrating with her need to do something and her complete lack of knowledge over what exactly she could do. Zettai just kept his head down, but his eyes still hardened at the mismatched red.

"Don't fucking know anything, kid," Ryuu repeated, his voice a low growl.

"I know you're going to be dead in a couple of minutes," she told him. "It's over."

Ryuu didn't have any words for that, just shook his head. He was fighting so hard. He just wanted to live. How could she fault that? Not quite sure where she found the courage, Sumire very, very slowly stood up. Misa watched her out of the corner of her eye.

"Sumire," Shoma hissed.

"Ryuu," she said quietly, flinching when the gun swung around to face her. "Stop this. Now."

"Nah, I'm done listen' to ya," he sneered. "Look where it got me, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty sure you this this to yourself, asshole," Misa said. Really, Misa? Now? This wasn't helping.

"What do you think is going to happen here?" Sumire asked. "Do you really think that Monokuma will just let you go free?"

"Could kill ya. Bring ya down with me."

Sumire's eyes glanced down to the gun. It was shaking, yes, and that did give her some measure of confidence, but it still looked like it was pointed directly at her heart. She took a steadying breath and hoped that her poker skills were at least somewhat measurable to her chess abilities.

She took a small step backwards, and after getting a nod from Monokuma, stepped down from her podium. She slowly moved around to the other side so that she was inside the circle.

"Then kill me," she told him, inclining her head so that she could look him right in the eye. She could see the uncertainty buried in there, the fear, and she refused to let her own show. If this was to work, she needed to have faith in her errant knight. It was too easy to come by. "Pull the trigger. Kill me if you're so set on it."

"Don't fucking test me, bitch," Ryuu warned.

But he didn't fire. He couldn't, no matter how much he had thought that he wanted to, and Sumire suddenly couldn't breathe with the realization of what she was about to lose.

"Killing _me_ won't do you any good," she said.

Ryuu always knew what she was thinking. He had been from the moment she walked in on him studying those guns on the first day. He had sized her up with a smirk and made a comment about her being a high-class clientele, and she had known immediately that this was someone that she could use. And as the days passed and the tensions rose, she would just have to look over to see him already staring at her, and they would be on the same page at once.

This hadn't changed.

"Fucking hell, kid," he said with a ghost of the smirk she knew before suddenly jerking his arm up and firing three quick shots.

Rudolph screamed again, the poor boy, as Sumire finally allowed herself to relax slightly. This actually worked. The situation was diffused. Hopefully.

"Did you just fucking kill Monokuma, Ape Face?" Kat blurt out.

"Holy shit," Fujiko breathed.

Sumire turned her head to see Monokuma slumped over in his chair. One bullet had buried itself deep in the throne itself, but the other two had found their mark. The bear was limp, lifeless, it's unnerving, red eye dark and motionless. Sparks leapt from the body.

"Are – are we free?" Ryo asked. The hope in his voice was unmistakable. Beautiful and pure and innocent. A matching feeling bubbled up in Sumire like champagne. Yes, there was still the fact that Ryuu did kill Shouko, but a good lawyer should be able to make any charges disappear. They were all threatened and under duress. Why would they be held accountable in a situation like that?

"But the rules," Kotoko said. "We're not allowed to hurt Monokuma without punishment."

"Fucking no one to punish, kid," Ryuu told her, and even though he tried to continue his disaffected act, there was relief in the way that he held himself, holding the gun loosely in his hand.

"It can't be that easy," Misa said flatly. Both hands were now clasped tightly against her wound, but blood still leaked around her fingers, startlingly red and bright.

"Who says?" Ryuu asked, and as if on cue low laughter filled the trial room. It started low, barely on the edge of Sumire's hearing, but grew louder and louder and louder until Sumire was covering her ears to try and drown out the noise. And all the while, her heart was in her throat because she knew whom that laugh belonged to. There was one only person who could sound so deliriously, joyously menacing.

The center of the trial room spilt open and Monokuma, completely unharmed, jumped out of the depths. Sumire stumbled back and would have hit her head against her podium if Shoma hadn't reached through the bars of his to grab her and stop her.

"Aw, don't look so sad!" Monokuma cooed as he slowly turned to face Ryuu. "Some punk can't get rid of me that easily."

"You – "

But before Ryuu could even bring the gun around, a chain dropped down from the ceiling. It clamped down around the bounty hunter's neck and jerked him up into the sky. Ryuu's last words were cut off with a gurgle as he immediately clawed at his new collar, desperate for a breath. His stolen gun clattered to the floor, forgotten.

"Now," Monokuma said, drawing the word out as he walked back to his throne. He kicked the broken corpse of his clone over and took his rightful seat. "It's really just a formally now, but it's voting time! Pull out your Monopads and cast your vote for the rightful blackened."

No.

No, she couldn't.

She couldn't do it. She wouldn't.

All around her, her fellow Ultimates put in their votes. There was none of the handwringing or hesitation that marked this occasion last trial. Why would there be? No one here actually liked Ryuu, and he had attacked their sainted savior. Their hero. Even those who held themselves as morally or ethically good and pure hardly hesitated to select Ryuu's name.

Hypocrites.

Cowardly bastards.

"Sumire," Misa said, snapping her out of her quickly spiraling thoughts. The smuggler looked at her with a mix of pity and impatience. It was almost comforting. "Just out him out of his misery."

White-hot rage rushed through her at that moment, almost taking her breath away with its intensity. Yes, as if she couldn't hear Ryuu choking, thrashing, fighting for every breath of air he could. As if this wasn't her fault.

Stupid, arrogant criminal scum acting like she had the moral high ground here. Well, we'll see how she feels once her true secret it out.

But that would not solve the current problem. And so, with shaking hands, Sumire pulled out her Monopad. The voting screen was already up; three faces blackened and crossed out. She closed her eyes and pressed her finger down.

* * *

 **IT'S VOTING TIME!  
**

 **SUMIRE, CAST YOUR VOTE!**

Shoma Hirano

Zettai Noseifuku

Rudolph Sminov-Sakaguchij

-Tsuyoshi Genda-

Katashi Koizumi

-Itami Toyaku-

 **Ryuu Hagiwara**

Ryo Fujimoto

Miyu Shimizu

Kotoko Moto

Misa Katsu

Fujiko Ozawa

Satsuki Enomoto

-Shouko Sakamura-

Sumire Aoshima

Hoshina Kaminaga

 **RESULTS!**

 **Ryuu Hagiwara: 13 votes**

 **CONGRATULATIONS!**

 **RYUU IS THE BLACKENED!**

 **CLASS TRIAL END!**

 **ALL RISE!**

* * *

Like last time, glittery confetti fell from the ceiling in colors that matched those of their rooms. Bells and whistles rang out triumphantly, but to Sumire, it was like they were miles away. All she could do was watch as Ryuu's struggles became more and more feeble.

"Upupupupupup! Yep! Great job, everyone! Even if a child could have figured it out," Monokuma told them. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to skip the anguished goodbyes and bargaining for more time. Little Ryuu here needs to be double punished for breaking so many rules."

"Fine by me," Misa muttered. She was leaning heavily on the banister of her podium now, half-heartedly trying to keep Miyu from fluttering around her like a nervous butterfly. Still, from the look in her eyes, it was clear she enjoyed the attention. Kat hurried over as well, and was moderately more successful at getting Misa to show him the true extent of her injuries.

"No! Wait!" Sumire called out, but it was too late. The large, red button was already rising out of the floor.

"It's PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma crowed as he slammed the miraculously appearing gavel down on the button. Sumire darted forward towards Ryuu's podium, but the chain dragged him higher and higher into the air until he disappeared through a hole in the ceiling.

* * *

 **EXECUTION TIME!**

 **FIGHT CLUB**

The chain around Ryuu's neck suddenly broke and he fell several feet onto a platform suspended in midair. He frantically tore the chain off and gulped down deep, greedy breaths of air as he looked wildly around. Below him, an army of Monokuma slowly climbed the walls in order to reach him. But there was nowhere to go, nowhere he could easily escape to. Far below, Sumire watched him with wide eyes as another team of Monokumas rolled a bed of wicked sharp spikes underneath the platform.

Time. Ryuu needed more time, but that was the one thing that he was completely out of. The first Monokuma reached the platform, but Ryuu sent it hurtling to the ground with a well-placed kick to the face. He spun around to find another Monokuma swiping at his back. He dodged, the claws cutting a path through his shirt and jacket but barely missing skin, and used the bear's momentum to send it sailing off the side as well.

The Monokumas kept coming. Endless. Unrelenting. Untiring. A luxury that Ryuu did not have. Already fatigued and weakened from his aborted hanging, he was too slow to miss a swipe to his leg. Blood burst forth, turning the fabric a dark, wet color. The next claw came to his shoulder. Then down his back. Arm, arm, stomach, knee. A thousand, little cuts that he was simply too slow to dodge or avoid, even as he sent bear after bear hurtling to the ground. Down below, the Monokumas started their awful machine, the bed of spikes roaring to life with an awful growl as it turned into a glorified meat grinder.

The next attack slashed across Ryuu's face, just missing his eyes but still blinding him with the flood of blood that streaked down his face. He lost his balance, teetering over the edge of the platform for a moment before falling. Sumire pushed insistently through the gathered, waiting crowd of Monokumas just in time to see Ryuu grab onto the edge of the platform with one hand.

He looked up in time to see the crowd of Monokumas gather around his last lifeline. The lead Monokuma giggled before slamming his foot down on Ryuu's hand. Again. And again. And again. And again until the fingers broke and Ryuu finally fell. Sumire raced forward with a soft cry as Ryuu fell directly into the meat grinder. Blood splattered everywhere, covering Sumire's face and chest as she stared on in mute horror.

* * *

Yes, horror was an adequate word for it. Adequate, not perfect. She was far too numb for it to it to be completely accurate. Her own mind and body shut down to protect what was left of her fragile sanity.

It wasn't enough.

* * *

 **And thus we reach the end of the second trial. I think a lot of you guessed the killer this time around, but hopefully it was still a tense and enjoyable read! Just one more chapter and then we're done with Chapter Two as a whole! Can you believe it? Hopefully it won't take me as long to get that one up as it did this one.**

 **Until next time!**


	21. Chapter Two End

**What's this? Ziggy's back? I know! It's true! Sorry for the impromptu hiatus. Health issues rolled into personal issues rolled into finals. But I am back and on winter break, which means that we can return to our regularly scheduled chapters!**

 **Guys, we're at the end of Chapter Two. Can you believe it? I can't. I have a lot of fun, heartbreaking things planned for Chapter Three that I can't wait to share with you all. But first, we need to end this one. So I'll stop talking and let you all get to it!**

 **Prince PokePersona: I'm glad that you liked the trial! It was hard to say goodbye to Ryuu, but it really was time. At least he had an action packed send off. It's what he would have wanted haha**

 **MasterSaixus: You're still allowed to feel sad! It's always sad when a lose one of our characters. (One of the perks of being the writer is that I get to keep Misa around!) I'm so glad that you're happy with how I wrote him and the send off that I gave him. Let's be honest, if there was one character who would shoot Monokuma in the face, it would be him.**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Aww I'm glad that I made your day! Thanks so much! :)**

 **Shirasaur: There are a lot of questions, aren't there? Don't worry, most of them will be answered at some point or another! We'll see who is next on the Annoy Misa Brigade!**

* * *

Fuck. She hated getting shot.

Misa leaned heavily on her podium, not caring enough to even bother watching Ryuu's execution. The guy was an ass and a bastard and he shot her _with her own gun_. Dude deserved exactly what he got, even if she did wince at the sound of the glorified meat grinder doing its job. She was far more focused on the warm, slick blood dripping over from between her fingers, on the burning line through her stomach now that the adrenaline was wearing off, on the sight of her missing gun just sitting on the floor merely feet away. Not that its matching pair, currently tucked into the back of her jeans, did her any good.

Quicker on the draw. If only she had been a little bit quicker. She was getting slow. She would need to fix that. Practice more. Again and again until her babies were a part of her very soul again. This can't happen again. She wouldn't let it. Never again.

Sumire stood away from the group near the meat grinder, her face stark white underneath the coat of splattered blood. She slowly grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it up with shaky hands in order to wipe the blood off her face. All it succeeded in doing was smearing it around instead.

Everyone else, well, there was shock and awe and nausea and despair. The emotions morph and twisted and jumped from one face to another, never looking the exact same twice. Even Shoma looked disgusted, although most of that seemed to be directed at the seemingly unaffected Zettai.

Seemingly unaffected. His shoulders were never usually this tense, and that muscle in his jaw was jumping again.

Monokuma looked at everyone's expression and sighed in content. "See? Moment like this make it _allllllllll_ worth it," he said. "The looks on your faces! Pawisitively perfect! This is why you got to respect the classics!"

"Says the bear that got shot in the freaking face!" Fujiko growled. Monokuma stared at her for a moment before shrugging.

"And we learned a very valuable lesson there! There are always more of me. Even if you somehow managed to break me or destroy me, another will take my place and you will die for no reason other than your own pitiful stupidity." The bear brightened suddenly. "Oh, doesn't that just make the despair sweeter?"

"We're never getting out of here," Rudolph said, tears welling up in his eyes. Ryo grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. The horror novelist buried his face in the adventurer's chest.

"No, I doubt you'd actually be able to get away with murder," Zettai said, and in that moment, Misa really wished that he had kept his mouth shut.

"Not like you, huh?" Miyu asked. She practically vibrated with anger from her spot next to Misa.

Zettai smirked. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

Yeah, okay. Time to stop this before it could devolve any further. Misa let her knees buckle for a moment, catching her weight against the railing of her podium. Miyu immediately switched gears, wrapping one arm under Misa's shoulders in order to help her. Kat took a few steps closer to her as well, his face pinched with worry. Misa sent a quick, mental apology his way.

"Hey! You can't die yet! I'll have no one to execute if you die!" Monokuma said as he bounced up and down on his toes.

"Death is for other people." She leaned a little bit more weight onto Miyu. "I'm fine. Really."

"You're bleeding a lot…" Miyu said. "Is there an exit wound? I don't see an exit wound!"

Oh, shit. That meant that someone would have to dig the bullet out. That was going to suck.

"It's a gunshot. They're kinda gonna bleed. Just a teeny tiny bit," Kat told her.

"That doesn't make me feel better!"

"Not really supposed to, Koi Pond. Koi Pond? Sorry, ignore that. I can do better."

"Is this really the time for this?" Satsuki asked, even as she looked pointedly away from both Misa and Ryuu's remains.

"I'm sorry, but there's not a hospital or anything we can bring you to, right? So what should we do?" Kotoko asked as if Misa had ever gone to a hospital because of a silly gunshot before.

"There's always Monokuma Hospital!" The bear looked at Misa and grinned. "Guaranteed to return with all of your parts mostly intact!"

"Oh, like Itami?" Shoma asked dryly. Everyone, Monokuma included, turned to gape at him. Shoma remained completely unflustered, even if his posture did slouch a bit. "It's true."

"That…" Hoshina trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind."

"Just give me a first aid kit. I can take care of it myself," Misa said, bringing the conversation a bit more on topic. Monokuma narrowed his eyes at her, but nodded after a second.

"It'll be in the longue," he said before sighing. "Oh, Tetsu is going to be so sad when he hears you've been hurt. Whelp! That's all for me! Bye bye!"

Tetsu?

"Wait no!" And… too late. Monokuma was already gone. And he called Tetsu by name. He knew about him. However had took her, however was running this hellhole, _knew_ about him. Of course they did. Why was she even surprised by this, especially considering the secret that she had? But she had been so careful about his name, tried so hard to protect him from this.

Guess it was all pointless. Great. Fan-fucking-tastic. He was probably dead already.

No.

 _No_.

She was not going to start that shit.

Tetsu was fine. He was a hell of a lot strong and smarter than she was. He was fine. He had to be fine.

"Umm… who is Tetsu?" Ryo asked. Misa ignored him.

"Can someone please hand me my gun?" she asked. "I don't really want to walk over there." Hoshina walked it over to her, earning a quick grin of thanks. Oh, she felt so much better the moment it slid back into its home in her holster. Even if her head was starting to feel just a bit fuzzy.

"Wait, can we, um, talk about this first?" Kotoko asked. "There's just going to be a gun now? I'm sorry, two guns?"

"Add it to the list," Fujiko said. "The guns, being _important_ , whatever the fuck is up with Zettai!"

"I was wondering when that would start again," Zettai said.

"Oh, I'm more than willing to start," Miyu told him.

"Okay, can this please wait until after I stop bleeding?" Misa asked. "Preferably tomorrow?" Maybe that would give her enough time to corner that smug asshole and ask him what the hell their plan was.

"That is an excellent idea," Hoshina said smoothly before Fujiko could protest. "It would be very irresponsible if we leave Misa in pain. And it's been a very long day. This isn't the best time for any discussion."

For a moment, Zettai smiled at her. An actual, grateful smile. It was bizarre, but honestly looked good on him.

Hoshina gently took Misa from Miyu and led her to the elevator. "Wait, I'll come with you," she said, but Hoshina shook her head.

"It's okay. I got it."

"But – okay, fine. Hey, why are you going then?"

Shoma had just slipped inside the elevator. He shrugged. "I go where she goes," he said, inclining his head towards Hoshina. The psychologist's cheeks turned pink. His turned a matching color as soon as he saw it happen. Miyu was still clearly unhappy.

But for once, Misa wasn't necessarily focused on her. Sumire hadn't moved the entire time, hadn't said a word. She just silently stared at Misa as the elevator doors slid close.

"You know that you really don't have to come with me, right?" Misa asked after a few moments. This whole elevator ride was a little weird now that she knew that they weren't actually going anywhere.

"It's okay," Hoshina said with a gentle smile. "I've had to sew up injuries before. Yours looks like it might be hard to do by yourself."

"At least it's not my ass."

"You've been shot in the ass before?" Shoma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nope! But it'd be funny if I had, right?"

"How are you one of the best criminals on this Ship? This is a serious question."

Misa winked at him just as the doors slid open again. Hoshina led her to the lounge, and neither of them commented on how she leaned more and more weight on her with each step. Hoshina didn't complain, though, didn't stagger. Still, it was a relief when Misa could finally sit down. Her legs definitely didn't collapse from under her, nope.

It was just the adrenaline wearing off, but still. The principal of the thing.

The first aid kit was already sitting on the table. At least Monokuma was quick. Shoma hovered awkwardly a few feet away as Hoshina grabbed the kit and sat next to Misa. Oh, she was going to get blood all over the couch. Oh well.

"So. You've dealt with gunshot wounds before?" Misa asked as Hoshina organized everything she would need. She still watched her carefully, of course, but it did seem like the psychologist knew what she was doing. Huh.

"Uh, no, this is a first. But my, um, mom would… get hurt a lot. It was usually easier if I helped them instead of going all the way to a hospital."

"Hm."

Misa glanced at Shoma as he looked away. Interesting. She hissed as Hoshina lifted her shirt out of the way, the fabric sticking at the edges of the wound. Hoshina smiled apologetically. Misa waved her off. She was just being a baby about it.

She let Hoshina work in silence for a few moments. "So – owwww – that trial was fun." Shoma shook his head. Hoshina's smile flickered for a moment. "No? Then how would you describe it? Come on, guys. Work with me here. Give me something else to focus on."

"Problematic," Shoma finally said.

"I don't know if I would phrase it like that exactly," Hoshina said.

"It's just going to cause problems."

"You can say that about anything. We talked about this."

"Am I wrong?"

Hoshina didn't have an immediate answer for that. Shoma shrugged.

"We're going to repeat the same shit with Zettai. Everyone will ostracize him, if not worse, and he'll finally have no reason not to get his hands dirty," he said, and Misa definitely didn't like the look in his eye as he did so. He was far too excited about the idea.

"Zettai wouldn't do that," she said.

Shoma smirked. "Well, you would know."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Shoma," Hoshina said quietly. He rolled his eyes and collapsed down into a nearby chair.

"Fine," he muttered before pulling out his game.

That should have been the end of the conversation. It really should have. But that would require that Misa hold her tongue for once, and if this last trial proved anything, it was that that was impossible.

"Zettai wouldn't do that," she insisted. "Sure, the whole Itami thing is kinda really fucked up but still. He wouldn't just kill someone because he was pissed or people turned on him. There would be no point."

"Maybe," Hoshina allowed.

"Well, he certainly wouldn't claim that his victim was asking for it or whatever," Misa said, shaking her head. "Seriously, that was bullshit." Shouko wouldn't just give up like that. No one would just give up like that, especially over something so stupid. To claim otherwise … it insulted her Insulted her memory.

Hoshina opened her mouth and closed it again without saying anything.

Misa frowned. "Oh, come on," she said.

"I'm not saying that that was definitely what happened," Hoshina said. "We'll never know for sure. But it's not impossible."

"Yes, it is."

Shoma looked up from his game to watch them.

"It would fit the evidence. Or at least not contradict it."

"Shouko wasn't a coward."

"I… oh, that's a lot," Hoshina said after a beat. Her brow furrowed. She was silent for a moment. Misa sucked in a breath as she gently worked the bullet out. It dropped onto the tray of the first aid kit with a soft _clink_. Finally, Hoshina spoke. "Whenever someone dies of cancer, everyone always says how they were a fighter. How they were so strong, but eventually they lost to this awful, insidious disease. No one ever blames the cancer patient for losing. It wasn't their fault. No one ever says that about people with depression."

"Why do I feel like I'm being scolded?" Misa asked. Hoshina shrugged.

"It's simply something to consider."

"Whatever." Misa's point still stood. Shouko wasn't a coward, and Ryuu was just a fucking dick trying to avoid responsibility for his actions. He had done it before, and this was just another example. Besides… if he wasn't lying, and Shouko had been that fragile then… well, then maybe Misa should have been a little gentler when she confronted her about her secret. But Shouko hadn't, and so Misa did nothing wrong. There was no reason for the guilty to gnaw a hole in the bottom of her heart.

Hoshina stared at her for a moment and sighed. They were silent until Hoshina finished stitching the wound close. Awkwardly, painfully so. Great. Felt about right. Wasn't like anything else was working the way it was supposed to today.

Finally, Hoshina stood up. "There. That should be okay?" Misa took a moment to admire her handiwork. Honestly, it was probably better than Misa could have done. Guess Hoshina's mom really did get hurt a lot. Hoshina's smile reappeared when Misa nodded. "Oh, good. It had been awhile. I think there are some pain medications in here too for when the local anesthesia wears off."

"Thanks," Misa said as the bottle of pills was handed to her, already knowing that there was no way in hell she would actually take them. "I'm, uh, going to go and put on some fresh clothes."

Hoshina nodded. "Okay." She paused. "I'm glad that you're okay."

"Me too."

Hoshina shook her head with a smile and a soft laugh as Misa headed out the door. Shoma gave her a distracted wave on the way out.

The hallway was empty as she completed the circle around. She almost expected to see Sumire standing in front of Ryuu's door like some kind of lost kitten, but the chess grandmaster was nowhere to be seen. Probably for the best. She looked at the brown seven on the door for a long moment before continuing on.

Misa turned the corner to see Miyu sitting against her bedroom door. Misa frowned. The other girl almost looked worse now than she when Misa faked collapsing. Had there been some kind of delayed reaction? The shock of everything that had happened hitting her all at once?

Ugh, she probably wanted to talk about Zettai's secret. Great. She was still waiting on that contingency plan.

But still, it was Miyu, so she smiled instead of grinned when the genetic engineer finally looked up at her.

"Hey, you," she said.

"Hi. Do you have a second?"

"For you? Always. You wanna come in or…?"

"No, no, it's fine."

"You sure? I was gonna take off my shirt to change and everything."

Miyu just looked at her, exasperated, even as the blood rushed to her face. "I just, um," she paused as she tried to think of the right words. "I need to talk to you about something? That okay?"

Misa shrugged and immediately regretted the movement. "Always. What's up?"

"Even if it's about Zettai?" she asked, solemn, grey eyes searching the smuggler's face.

Misa slowly straightened her posture. "Yeah? Why would that make any difference?"

"Well, no, but I know that you guys are kind of friends and – "

"We're not friends," Misa interrupted as her heart rate started to spike. "I seriously doubt that Zettai's even capable of making friends. We're all just chess pieces to him." Wow, okay that sounded surprisingly bitter. Maybe take it down a notch, Misa.

Still, it was enough to startle a short laugh out of Miyu, so maybe it wasn't all bad. She had a very nice laugh, especially when Misa caused it. Slowly, Miyu relaxed. Color returned to her face. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm being stupid. Forget I said anything."

"Nope! Too late. What is it? Seriously, if it's bugging you enough that you came to me, I want to know what it is."

"Yeah?"

"Of course! You're… you're my girl." Misa immediately looked away. "I mean, my favorite girl. That's here. Not that there's a lot of competition, but you know. You're… yeah. That. Wow, would this sound better if I said I was on powerful pain drugs? Because I'm not, but I could lie."

She only looked up when Miyu gently took her hand, interlocking their fingers. "It's okay," she said quietly, looking up at her through her lashes. "You're my favorite too."

"Well, I knew that already. Haven't exactly been subtle."

"Yes, I have!"

"Really? I'm surprised Kit Kat hasn't nicknamed you Tomato Cheeks yet."

"Listen you," Miyu said, fighting a grin. She used their linked hands to pull Misa closer, settling her other hand on her waist.

Directly over the very recent gunshot wound.

Misa squeaked a little in what was mostly surprised and Miyu immediately let go and took a step back. Misa immediately took a step forward to follow her.

"I'm sorry!"

"It was an accident, you're fine. In fact, we can try that again if you want. See if it leads somewhere different…" And no, she totally didn't just tilt her head towards her door. Because that would be weird and far too soon after two of their classmates just horribly died. Yep. Definitely.

Miyu laughed and sighed, looking distinctly relieved. "I don't know what Sumire was talking about," she said. Misa tilted her head to the side, silently prompting for more. "Oh, it's what I wanted to talk to you about. After you left, Sumire pulled me aside. Said I had a right to know who you really were or whatever."

"…Who I really am?"

"Yeah. She thinks that you already knew Zettai's secret? That you're partners or whatever and he told you. That's why you weren't surprised." She waved her hand in a vague manner. Misa forgot how to breathe. "I'm sorry. I know that it's ridiculous. It just freaked me out for a second. Which is stupid, because you would have told me." Misa may have nodded. She honestly wasn't sure.

Sumire knew.

Fuck.

That may actually be the worst-case scenario. Well, at least it would explain why she had been staring at her like a weirdo earlier. Fuck.

Okay, okay, this was fine. Miyu didn't even believe her. This wasn't an issue at all. She could handle it. She just had to, you know, breathe and act like a normal person.

And so Misa grinned, not seeing how Miyu frowned slightly in confusion, and cocked her head to the side and pitched her voice low and flirtatious, because she always flirted when she needed to distract Miyu to another topic and it had always worked before and there was no reason why it shouldn't work now. "Now, come on. A girl like you is far too pretty to be fretting over stupid nonsense."

Miyu took a step back. Her cheeks didn't redden. They drained of all color.

"She also said that you would immediately flirt with me. Because that's what you do when you want me to ignore something."

"What?"

"Did you know Zettai's secret already?"

"Miyu, I flirt with you all the time. We were literally just flirting right before this." Misa forced a laugh that mostly sounded natural. "Come on, I don't only flirt with you when I want something." Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. This time, Misa definitely saw the change flit across Miyu's face.

"So you do flirt with me when you want something."

"I…" Shit this conversation was spiraling. Hard. How did they even get here? All of a sudden, Misa was floundering, looking for Miyu to throw her some kind of rope or lifeline to get out of here. It didn't help that she could barely hear the other girl's words over the sudden pounding drumbeat in her ears.

"Did you know Zettai's secret already?" Miyu repeated.

"You literally just said that this was ridiculous."

"Why can't you just answer me question?"

"Miyu –"

"Did you know?"

"Wow, so much for trusting me."

"Just answer me. Did you – "

"Okay, fine! Yes! Yes, I knew! Happy?"

There was absolute silence for a few seconds, broken only by the pair's heavy breathing.

"You knew," Miyu said quietly, her voice thick. Misa could only muster a nod. "When?"

"Zettai came to me right after the first trial. Told me everything."

"And you never thought, 'Oh, I should fucking tell someone?' Misa, what the fuck?"

Misa barked out a laugh, short and harsh. Miyu flinched, but she didn't care. "What do you want from me, Miyu? Please, enlighten me. What should I have done?"

"Told someone? Told me? Act like a fucking decent human being?"

"Well maybe I'm not a fucking decent human being!" Misa snapped.

"I can see that," Miyu said flatly. She turned to walk away, as if Misa would actually let her get in the last word.

"Ryuu was right," she said. Miyu paused, not turning around.

"Right about what?"

"Remember that boyfriend I told you about? The one that the police killed? I lied." Misa slowly stepped forward, circling around Miyu until she finally looked her in the eyes. "I'm the one who killed him. Even though he was on his knees, begging me to spare him, saying that he loved me, that he was sorry. Bang!" Miyu jumped as Misa clapped. "Didn't care. Killed him anyway."

"You're lying," she whispered. Misa grinned. It was sharp and filled with far too many teeth.

"Am I? Have you even been able to tell? Or am I too cute for you to – "

She broke off as a loud _crack_ filled the hall, the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Misa brought a hand up to gently touch her cheek. Miyu had slapped her clean across the face. In any other situation, Misa would have been impressed. It really fucking hurt. Although that also could have been the pain in her chest talking, just barely peeking out from the under the haze of red thrumming through her veins.

This time, Misa let her leave without another word. There was really nothing left to say. Nothing that she could say, even as the red haze grew and condescended until only a single word remained.

Sumire.

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO: SHOWDOWN AT SUNDOWN**

 **[END]**

 **12 ULTIMATES ALIVE**

 **TROPHY ACQUIRED: MISA'S GUNS**

 **START CHAPTER THREE?**

 **[YES] NO**

* * *

 **And thus ends Chapter Two. We did it, lovely readers. We've arrived. And then end of one chapter means the beginning of another, which means FTE time! The poll should be up on my profile. For obvious reasons, Miyu is not included in the list. But you guys already got two FTEs with her. Time to spread the love a little. But yeah! Be sure to cast your votes and let me know what you think!**

 **Until next time!**


	22. Chapter Three Part I

**You know, in hindsight maybe I shouldn't have put Sumire on the FTE list. You guys voted for her, however, so I delivered. Even if you are all mean to me. But that's okay, I'm mean to you too. Welcome to Chapter Three!**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Hoshina's observation was probably my favorite part of the chapter. It's a very important one. And I have considered changing POVs again. We'll see how it shakes out! #SendZettaiBack**

 **Prince PokePersona: There is a bunch of shipping happening! Even if some of the ships are, well, not very happy with each other at the moment due to the other party being an idiot. Others seem to be doing okay, though!**

 **alucard deathsinger: You know, it isn't a proper Killing Game until people's psyches take severe damage. It's just no fun otherwise. And very interesting theories and gut feelings. Even if the idea of killing Misa feels like a punch in the gut itself haha.**

 **mayurie: That's okay! Reviewing is never mandatory! :) The "Did they do the hanky panky no pants" line honestly made me snort from laughing so hard. But they are certainly close, aren't they? It was really nice to hear all your thoughts!**

* * *

Okay, maybe Misa had fucked up somewhere along the line. It wasn't like this was necessarily an uncommon occurrence. Tetsu could very easily make a list. He has, on occasion. An actual, physical list that led to Misa chasing him all around the apartment that they were crashing in until they had both collapsed onto the couch in a fit of helpless laughter. But it usually wasn't this bad. Her fuck ups were fixable. They didn't take place in the middle of a stupid Killing Game where one of the only things keeping you alive was your solid bonds and ties to other people.

Wasn't that her strategy? Smile, make allies, reduce the target on your back because no one wants to actually kill their friends.

Not that Misa could ever die here. Death was for other people. Other, stupid people who got under her skin, who left their accusing words ringing in her head, who turned the people that _belonged_ to her against her.

Misa sat upright in bed, back resting against the wall. She hadn't bothered to even try to sleep tonight. She simply sat there, practicing her quick draw. First one hand, then the other, alternating until she relearned every groove and scratch and smooth spot of her darling babies. Until they moved fluid and sure in her hands again. Until no one could get the drop on her again. Never again. Not in a gunfight, not ever.

Her wound still throbbed with every heartbeat, a constant drumming of numbing pain in the back of her mind. But still, the pill bottle that Hoshina had handed her sat on her desk, untouched and unopened. Those always dulled her mind, stuffing it full of cotton.

It was late. Well, it was probably technically early at this point but what did it matter? Their prison was silent, waiting. They would probably have a new floor to explore in the morning. That's what happened, wasn't it? Two people die and the rest get new space to place in, to kill in. People only seemed to kill people on the newest floor. Maybe that was the ticket to survival. If you make it past the first murder, just stay in the original starting area at all times. You'll be safe there.

Maybe Sumire should stay on the first floor.

She couldn't kill her.

…Okay, maybe she could. Quite easily too. But she shouldn't. She wouldn't be able to get away with it. Especially with the mess that was bound to explode come breakfast.

Zettai needed to know.

That was the main issue, wasn't it?

Zettai.

It was always him. And this latest… _thing_ didn't help matters. Sure, he wasn't going to win any popularity contests anyway, but at least he wasn't the most hated person in the group, not counting Monokuma. At least he hadn't brought up the idea of "importance" like that wouldn't utterly destroy everything. Though why not, right? If you're being ripped apart and dragged down, why not bring it all down with you?

It's what she would do.

Still, Zettai needed to know. They were partners, right? Sure, it was a complete and utter bastardization of her entire concept of partnership, but it was something. Honestly, Misa needed everything she could get after the whole shitshow with Miyu.

Oh, she had really, really fucked that up. Spectacularly so, even. Damn, stupid temper. She hated it when it did that.

But Zettai needed to know what was going to happen. He needed time to prepare so that it didn't just blindside him. He deserved that much. Okay, maybe he deserved to know that much at a more normal, human time six hours ago, but hey. Misa was maybe panicking at the moment and was definitely not in the state of mind to think clearly.

Would he absolutely hate her if she just waltzed up to his door, waking him up at three in the morning? Oh, probably. But that still didn't stop her from doing it. It had to be better than just sitting on her bed, staring blankly into the middle distance. It had to be better than roaming around the empty, dark places where anyone could also be sitting up late with insomnia.

Except he didn't answer, no matter how hard or insistently she knocked at the door. Smart, really. Who knows what kind of person was on the other side of it? Really, opening your door in the middle of the night is a sure fire way to get yourself killed. He was smarter than that. Of course he was.

If Misa slept more than two hours that night, it would be a miracle. Monokuma's morning announcement came and went with its usual cheer, and Misa dragged herself out of bed. Her entire body ached and throbbed where it didn't. Still, after running a brush through her hair and redoing her braid, she went off to the dining room. Breakfast was breakfast, and ignoring it would only be suspicious.

Misa couldn't afford to be suspicious right now. Besides, she knew Miyu. Kinda. Once she calmed down, she would realize that that wasn't some kind of bomb that you could just drop over cereal and eggs. Hopefully. Honestly, that was the only plan that she had. Hope beyond hope that Miyu would keep her mouth shut. And if she didn't? Well. Her temper just might get the better of her again.

Out of habit more than anything else, she swung by the lottery room first. Her guns were still nestled safely against her hips, but it was still a good place to check. If only because Zettai liked to hang around there, and she really did need to give him some kind of heads up. Except that the person waiting for her there wasn't Zettai.

"Sumire." It took a lot of effort to keep her voice level, friendly even. Despite the spike in her heart rate. Was this how Ryuu felt? She could almost understand it now.

The chess grandmaster looked away from the display she had been admiring with a tired smile that faded when she noticed that Misa was armed. "Hello, Misa. Are you feeling okay? You don't look like you slept very well," she said, her voice full of patronizing concern but not a trace of hostility.

"Oh, you know how it is after an execution. You look like you slept great, though. I guess you're lucky that it didn't really bother you that much."

And there it was. Something dark and ugly flashed in her eyes, just long enough for Misa to recognize it for what it was. Complete and utter distaste. But then it was gone and the smile remained.

"Well, Ryuu did want to kill me," she allowed with a shrug. "I guess that changes your perspective on things. Oh! Were you going to go to breakfast? I was just in the dining room, but no one was there. I don't know how many people will really feel hungry this morning."

"Well, if they don't, I'm sure Hoshina will bring them food anyways."

"You're probably right," Sumire said, her smile quirking into something just a bit more amused and real. It suddenly dawned on Misa that she probably had no idea that Miyu had let her name slip. She probably thought that she was safe. Well, if that's how she wanted to play it. It certainly made it easier to pretend that there was nothing wrong.

"So, what are you doing in here?" Misa asked.

Sumire shrugged again. "Just taking a more detailed inventory. I want to make sure that there's nothing else someone would want to horde coins for."

"Want a hand?" she asked, grinning when the other girl faltered for a few moments. Misa didn't really wait for a response. "Here, what have you done already?" She didn't get an answer to that question either. Misa simply went to work, letting the silence stretch on and on and on and on, watching as Sumire slowly spent more time looking at her than she did taking inventory. Finally, the other girl spoke. If only to alleviate the tension that had built.

* * *

 **Sumire:** So what is it that made you want to be a smuggler?

 **Misa:** Nothing really.

 **Sumire:** There was no reason?

 **Misa:** I didn't say that. Just that nothing made me want to do it. I just kinda fell into it.

 **Sumire:** So the hero that saved you didn't push you into it?

 **Misa:** Nah. First off, he's not a hero. Second, he… was more of a contractor at the time.

 **Misa:** Smuggling was just a side business. But I was small and quick at the time, so it worked.

 **Sumire:** It must have been annoying once you hit your growth spurt.

 **Misa:** Eh. I was established enough by the time that happened.

 **Sumire:** I see. Sounds like you started young then.

 **Misa:** Maybe. Why? What made you want to be the best at chess?

 **Sumire:** My grandfather. He gave me my first set when I was six.

 **Misa:** Talk about starting young.

 **Sumire:** Child prodigy, remember? I was playing in tournaments three years later.

 **Misa:** I'm sure your parents loved that.

 **Sumire:** My grandfather did.

 **Misa:** Not your parents then.

 **Sumire:** Were your parents proud of your talent?

 **Misa:** Parent. And, umm… considering it's a criminal one? No, not really.

 **Sumire:** There. Not sure why you're so surprised.

 **Misa:** Chess is very different than smuggling, though.

* * *

 **Sumire's Profile Card: Entry Two**

Sumire's grandfather was the one who gave her her first chess set when she was only six years old. He was also the one who was proud of her aptitude for it. Despite her early achievements at it, her parents apparently did not approve of her talent. That is also, apparently, a sore subject.

* * *

Sumire pressed her lips together, and that was the end of that conversation. Misa hummed to herself for a moment, and then, making sure that she definitely wasn't blocking Sumire's path to the exit, began speaking in an incredibly casual and even tone. Because she could have just turned around and go out to the dining room for breakfast. She could have just let Sumire go without a comment, secure in her faith that she had been particularly clever. She could have been smart about this, but then… then that wouldn't necessarily be Misa, now would it?

"So. I had an interesting conversation with Miyu yesterday."

"Really? What about?"

"Don't be coy, Sumire."

There was a pause as Sumire glanced at the clear path to the exit out of the corner of her eye. At the moment, neither girl directly faced the other. They stood at angles, both pretending to look at empty displays.

"I see," Sumire finally said. "Well, I thought that she had the right to know. Considering how _close_ the two of you are." Oh, and the pure bitterness dripping off her words. Seriously, what had Misa ever done to deserve that? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Not from her, anyways.

"Know what exactly? I haven't done anything worse than what you have."

"You're Zettai's Queen."

"Rook," Misa corrected before she could stop herself. Sumire actually turned so that she could fully face her, a question already on her lips. "Queen has connotations, remember? I think you were there for that conversation."

"I was." A realization. "Wait. That – he castled you!" Misa just blinked at her. Like she had any idea what that was supposed to mean. "Oh, never mind. Arrogant prick."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Misa said, conjuring up a slight grin. Too sharp and full of too many teeth and Sumire didn't notice that yet because she kept talking.

"Not y – "

"And I take offense to the idea that you think you can turn my people against me and take them from me."

"Take them from you?" Sumire repeated. "Misa, they aren't objects!"

Misa couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, even if it did hurt like hell. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But you of all the people here are scolding me about seeing people as objects? Whatever happened to sacrificing the pawns?"

"I – "

"You're just a fucking hypocrite."

"Um, hi? I'm sorry, I don't want to interrupt anything, but maybe you need to take a step back and stop arguing?" Sumire and Misa both turned to see a visibly uncomfortable Kotoko standing in the doorway. She reached up to fiddle with the ends of her hair. "We… we spent all yesterday fighting and doubting each other can be please just stop? Just for today?"

"Yeah, because I bet breakfast will be totally pleasant," Misa said. Kotoko looked at her pleadingly. Sumire had relaxed the moment the other girl had appeared and now held her hands up in surrender.

"I wont be the one starting anything," she said.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Misa told her. "Because you've been so innocent up till now."

"Well, considering what Zettai has done."

"Guys! Please! I'm sorry, but please."

Oh, screw this. Misa sighed, loudly and angrily and probably a bit too dramatically, and stalked out of the library room. Honestly, she felt a little bad when Kotoko shrank away from her, but Sumire had smirked at her like she had won this little confrontation and damn it, it just really made her want to shoot something. Could the inevitable new area have a shooting range in it? Please? Before she did something really, really stupid?

She's shot out kneecaps before. It wasn't that lethal.

Oh, maybe she shouldn't have gotten her guns back after all.

No.

No!

These were her babies. Her precious children. Hers. It didn't feel right without them. She needed them.

Misa was still visibly angry when she arrived in the dining room, enough so that Ryo whispered, "Oh no. Alley cat is hissing!"

"You good, Solo?" Kat asked.

Misa shook her head. "Yeah, it's…"

Miyu sat direction across from Kat. Of course she did. That wasn't surprising. They were friends. They sat together at every meal. But when Miyu looked up at her, there was no warmth in her eyes, no welcoming smile. She just looked away with her mouth pressed together into a thin line. Misa hesitated for a few moments in the doorway, but eventually just shook her head again before hurrying into the kitchen.

Kat turned to Miyu. "Am I missing something?"

"Drop it, Kat," she told him.

"No, seriously! Why are my two favorite girls fighting?"

If Miyu had a response to that, Misa didn't hear it. She retreated to the back corner of the kitchen where it was quiet and calm and cool and tried her best to just suppress the urge to run and hide until Monokuma called them all out for a new motive. Ugh, she seriously needed to get a grip. Now was not the time to freak out. Calm and cool, Misa. Calm and cool.

Zettai walked in just as she felt reasonably ready to face people again. All she was doing was waiting for her incredibly fatty and greasy fried food to arrive. He just needed to take one look at her to know that something was off.

"What did you do this time?" he asked as he punched in his food order.

Misa crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why do you have to assume that I did something? It could have been something done to me."

"Was it?"

Misa turned her head to look at the doorway. Sure, no one was there now but this was hardly the place for a private conversation. "I went to your room last night," she said instead.

For a moment, Zettai didn't quite meet her eyes. He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket. "Careful. You do stuff like that, you'll start rumors."

"Very funny," Misa told him.

"I have my moments." Misa's food arrived with a musical chime. Still, she didn't leave the kitchen, just lapsing into an uneasy silence until Zettai's food also arrived. "Huh. Barely any witty comments. You must have really screwed up then." He sighed. "Okay, fine. If it's not one disaster it's another in this place."

The pair returned to the dining room. It was incredibly quiet without Shouko making her silly declarations or regaling people about tales of her possibly nonexistent robot army. Or maybe it was the fact that Sumire was clearly, blatantly sitting in Misa's chair. Kat in particular looked displeased about this turn of events as she and Miyu had a perfectly pleasant conversation about a mutual friend that they apparently had. Hoshina watched that group carefully, a crease forming between her brows despite the smile still on her face. Shoma looked distinctly pissed, which explained why Kotoko had her body turned the complete opposite direction from him so that she could chat with Rudolph and Ryo. Fujiko and Satsuki were off in their own world, chattering excitedly. Well, Fujiko was chattering excitedly, wringing her still dripping hair out onto the floor. Satsuki just looked exasperated and bemused as she listened to her.

Shouko's seat remained opened.

As did Ryuu's, but that was more a function of people shuffling around than anything else. So Misa plopped herself down in it and gestured with her head for Zettai to take Sumire's former seat. He did so with a simple shrug.

The oh so pleasant chatter lasted for about five minutes. It wasn't even enough time to let Misa enjoy her food.

Hoshina cleared her throat. "Um, so I believe that we have a lot of things that we need to discuss."

"Oh! Oh! Has anyone gone up to the third floor yet?" Fujiko asked. "It has a pool!"

Ryo's eyes lit up. "A pool! I love pools! Are there swimsuits? Can we go swimming?"

"Oh, I just jumped in." And that explained the wet hair. And a pool? Misa had never been to a pool before.

"I did not," Satsuki added quietly.

"That is very good to know, but that was not what I was talking about," Hoshina said. She looked over at Misa and her smile turned apologetic. "There are multiple people who said that they were uncomfortable with the idea of a loaded gun floating around."

Misa sat up a little straighter. "And?"

"And," Hoshina continued, "maybe we should consider making sure that they're someplace safe."

"Trust me. They're safest where they are," Misa told her in a tone that allowed for no argument. "Besides, what am I going to do? Shoot someone and leave the most obvious murder? I mean, come on. I know I'm not all that smart but give me a little bit of credit."

"I don't know if this is such a weird request," Sumire spoke up.

Misa glared at her. "Over my dead body. They're mine. End of discussion."

"Umm," Kat raised his hand. "If that matter's done, I have something I'd like to say? Wow, that sounded super serious. I guess it is pretty serious, but it's not scary! Promise?" He shot Misa a wink when he thought that no one was looking. Zettai rolled his eyes.

Yes, Kat," Hoshina said with a quiet sigh. "Go ahead."

"Is this about your secret?" Miyu asked. Well, at least she could still look sympathetic and kind towards him. Kat scratched the back of his neck, but nodded.

"Yeah. I just wanted to clear the air, you know. I mean, I already told Solo about it, but figured you all deserve the same courtesy." And so he did. There was a lot of stuttering and backtracking, but he eventually made it through and looked so damn proud of himself when he did. It was essentially the same story that he told Misa when she first confronted him. Yes, he had been a member of Black Doves. But then they turned super radical and wanted him to actually kill people with his explosives, and he completely cut ties with them.

"It's okay, Kat," Rudolph said immediately. "We still love you."

"Yeah! You're not mean and you're not with the mean people anymore so it's fine!" Ryo agreed with some very enthusiastic nodding. He launched himself out of his chair to tackle Kat into a bear hug. Rudolph joined him a second later. Kat's chair wobbled a little, but he managed to keep it upright as he laughed and returned both hugs.

Kotoko also nodded. "You didn't know that they would do all of those awful things. And then you left when you did!' Her voice became quieter. "That takes a lot of strength."

"I can't really talk about associations so," Shoma said with a shrug. "Honestly, don't care."

"And you already know I love you, you doof," Miyu said with a distracted smile.

"How forgiving," Zettai observed dryly. "Why do I doubt I'll get the same treatment?" Miyu's smile disappeared in an instant as the tension in the room skyrocketed. Zettai smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I not next on the agenda? Or are we just going to sweep everything under the rug for the sake of unity and being friends?"

"And people say that I can be socially tactless," Shoma said. Oh, there was the pissed look again. So it was definitely directed towards Zettai. Good to know. For a second, Misa wondered if she had managed to annoy him too. If Sumire could figure things out, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume that Shoma could as well. Honestly, it would be a little rude if Shoma was mad at her, especially after everything she's done to try and make him stop being a hermit.

"Well, would you prefer it if I pretended that nothing is wrong?" Zettai asked. "Should I just suffer your glares in silence? That hardly sounds like fun."

"Fine," Miyu snapped. "Let's talk about this."

"Miyu," Hoshina said warningly. It was a gentle warning, considering who it was coming from, but the note in the psychologist's voice was clear. She was ignored.

"Monokuma should execute you," Miyu said flatly.

"Obviously he feels differently," Zettai said. But Misa was closer to him, both physically and well, relationship wise. As far as Zettai could actually have a relationship with anyone. And she could see the muscle in his jaw clench, see the tightness in the corners of his eyes.

"Let's not be drastic," Hoshina said.

"I don't think it's drastic!" Fujiko said, her hands balling up into fists. "He killed Itami and Tsuyoshi!"

"No, Itami killed Tsuyoshi. And then we all voted to kill Itami. Each and every one of us, if memory serves," Zettai said, calm and cold as could be.

"I just wanted a quiet, calm breakfast," Kotoko muttered.

"Told you that wouldn't happen," Misa said.

"Don't try and put this on us. You admitted that this was your fault!" Miyu all but yelled.

"And don't you put your guilt over how you treated Itami on me," Zettai said.

Miyu paled dramatically. "What are you – "

"Okay, Bathroom Buddy. Seriously. Enough," Kat said.

"This is going nowhere," Satsuki said, head in her hands like some kind of headache.

"No! Miyu is right!" Fujiko insisted.

"There's no need to end a conversation just because it's uncomfortable," Sumire said, her attention directed towards Satsuki. Still, there was a distinct easiness to her posture that Misa really, really didn't like.

"You, Miyu, are wracked with guilt that Itami died hating you," Zettai continued as if everyone else had been silent. "That you just saw him in terms of what he could do for the Ship."

"That is _not_ true. He was my friend!"

"Zettai," Misa said quietly. "Stop. This isn't helping anything."

Zettai ignored her. "He obviously didn't see it like that. And isn't that just a bit more important?"

"Zettai. Enough!" Hoshina finally said sharply. He held up his hands in surrender. She sighed. "This was not how I wanted to handle this."

"Was there a good way?" Rudolph asked. Ryo shook his head.

"I… does anyone want to explore the new floor with me?" Kotoko asked timidly.

"Sure, I'll go." Hey, Misa knew an out when she saw one.

"I do want to check out the pool," Ryo said, looking to Kat and Rudolph to see if they agreed with him. Rudolph looked like he wanted to, even if he didn't say it.

"Kotoko, we weren't done discussing thing," Hoshina said.

"I'm sorry," was all the onomastician said before she fled out of the room. Misa was right on her tail, ignoring the almost betrayed looks coming from Zettai and the ones coming from Miyu.

"I really, really don't like yelling," Kotoko said quietly once she and Misa were safely in the elevator and on their way to the newly appeared third floor. The button had simply appeared overnight, even though there was zero indication on the panel previously that it should have been there. Freaking witchcraft.

"Must make the trials hard."

"We don't really yell at those."

"I guess. It's still… a lot."

Misa couldn't disagree there. The doors slid open, depositing Kotoko and Misa into a very, very small hallway. It couldn't have been more than six feet long. On either end was a simple wooden door. Like the rest of their prison, the walls were all made of a single, solid, smooth piece of metal. The two girls looked at each other before Misa shrugged and went through the left door.

It opened up into a single, very large room. Gorgeous, dark wood covered the floors and paneled the walls, making it feel a lot smaller than it really was. Two chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their diamonds glittering in the low light. At least, Misa was fairly certain that they were diamond. She would need to get closer to be able to tell for sure.

The room was very empty. There were folded up tables and chairs stacked along the wall, but the center was empty. The entire back wall was taken up with shelving full of glass bottles. A bar lined with stools stood a few feet in front of it. Misa immediately made a beeline for it. Yep, each and every one of those glass bottles was a different kind of alcohol. Very, very good alcohol. Misa very gentle ran her fingers across the labels of the shelf closest to her eyelevel. She would have to be careful with these. Selecting one at random, she turned it over in her hands. It definitely seemed sealed. It would be hard to spike it with anything too, as long as no one opened it.

Kotoko joined her a few minutes later. "Okay, new favorite room," Misa told her with a quick grin. She returned the bottle to its proper place.

"What is it? A ballroom?"

"I guess so. All you're really missing are some kind of speakers and this would be a pretty good place for a party."

Kotoko nodded. "That could be fun."

"What? A party?" Misa asked.

"Yes? Oh, do… do you not think so?" she asked, brief panic flashing across her face. "I just thought that maybe we need one. For a break?"

"Good luck getting everyone in one place," Misa said with a shake of her head.

"Oh. Yes, I guess that's true."

"Besides, parties are lame without music."

Both girls turned their head at the incredibly loud _ding_ that the elevator let out as its doors slid open. Huh. Weird, you couldn't hear that at all from inside the thing. But from outside, they could hear it through the mostly closed door to the ballroom. Followed by the excited yelling and whooping that could only come from two people. Kotoko giggled and disappeared to go find them. Misa followed a few moments later after taking care to slip one of the smaller bottles of sake into her jacket.

The other door, however, did not lead to a swimming pool, but rather a gym. A floor length mirror took up one of the walls, presumably so that people could check and watch their form. In addition to the free weights, there were weight lifting machines and various treadmills and stationary bikes. It all looked brand new too. Seriously, this stuff could not have been cheap.

The gym also had two doors along the far wall, both looking very different from each other. One was a bright, obnoxious blue color. Misa could only assume that that led to the pool. The discarded shirts and creepy, cinnamon roll backpack that created a path to that door only cemented her opinion. The other was made of frosted glass lined with black rubber so that it made a complete seal around the frame. There was also a small, digital screen next to the doorway.

Curious, Misa headed to that latter door first. She tapped the screen and large, black numbers popped up, flanked by arrows pointing up and down. A thermostat? The temperature was incredibly high, though. Definitely much higher than the room she was currently in. Huh. The door was a little difficult to open, like it was stuck to the frame. It also didn't help that she tried to push first instead of pulling like she was supposed to.

The interior was entirely made of light, yellow wood. Benches lined the walls. Honestly, it was a fairly small room. Only a handful would be able to fit comfortably inside at once. It was also incredibly hot, like sticking her head inside of an oven. Oh, it was a sauna! Well, that probably wasn't totally dangerous at all. She took a step back and closed the door again. Oh yeah, someone could totally jam this from the outside. Easily too.

Well, this was one room that Misa was never, ever going to use. Way too easy to be murdered in.

She hated that she even had to consider that. That that was the first thought in her head.

"Oh, is everyone already at the pool?"

Misa turned to see Satsuki and Fujiko arrive.

"Of course!" Fujiko said, bouncing lightly on her toes. "It's the best place here!"

"Hey, guys. Are people still arguing?"

Satsuki shook her head. "Hoshina made everyone stop."

"Oh, Miyu and Shoma were _not_ happy about that. Like at all."

"I'm sure they weren't," Misa said.

"And me either! Zettai's a jerk! Someone should punch him in the face!" Fujiko said, pounding her own fist into her palm for emphasis. Satsuki just looked bemused again.

"So… pool?"

"Pool!" Wow. That definitely got Fujiko's attention. She pointed forward. "To the pool!"

The pool was large. Very large. It was the most water that Misa had ever seen in one place before. It was rather beautiful, perfectly blue and clear, even if it smelled very harshly of chemicals. Ryo and Rudolph were already enjoying the water. Ryo was doing handstands while Rudolph floated on his back. Kat was with them as well, although he just sat on the edge of the pool.

"Cannonball!" Fujiko yelled as she took off, leaping into the water without any care of her clothes.

"I don't know how to swim," Satsuki admitted, walking up to stand by Misa's side.

"It's okay. Me either," she told her. "I have a feeling a lot of people don't."

Still, as the happy, excited sounds of laughter filled the air, Misa couldn't help but feel a little wistful for it. It was the laughter of a child, even after everything that had happened so far. It was something precious that made her chest ache. She smiled at Satsuki before sitting down next to Kat.

"Hey, Solo."

"Hi, Kit Kat."

Misa leaned forward to dip her fingers into the water. It was cold, colder than she expected. He bumped his shoulder against hers. Naturally, she had to bump him back.

"You okay?" he asked as he grinned at Ryo and Rudolph gang up on Fujiko in a splash fight.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him with a matching grin. She just hoped to hell and back that she wasn't lying.

* * *

 **Happy New Years, everyone!**

 **Until next time!**


	23. Chapter Three Part II

**Hello! I'm back. I did not mean for this to take three weeks, but it did. Oops. We're starting to get into the heart of Chapter Three now. I will tell you now that there will be pain. There will be cute fluffiness, but mostly pain. Have fun!**

 **Shirasaur: Yeah, there are always consequences following a trial. It's something that is sometimes lacking from the games, but it definitely plays a role here. Even when said consequences crush my soul as well!**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Haha I love screeching! Screeching is just as good as coherent thoughts! Glad you liked the chapter! :)**

 **Prince PokePersona: A lot of people want to punch Zettai in the face. Or send him out an airlock. Or beat him with a chess board. It's almost as if he's a jerk or something... ;) And thanks for the criticism. That's one of the things I'm very aware of, and am trying to mitigate in this Chapter and going forward!**

 **tori-is-an-artist-too: Haha Welcome! I'm glad you caught up! The Gal Pals were broken up. It was a thing that occurred. Let's see if it's for good!**

* * *

 _This was a new one._

 _Odd._

 _She never had new dreams._

 _Never really knew that she was dreaming either, but what else could explain this? Her head was fuzzy, tongue thick and heavy in her mouth. The colors were too bright, sounds too muted. But her hands were steady. Completely steady. It was too hard to fire a gun if they were trembling and jumping all around the place, and what kind of person would she be if she couldn't just make a simple shot? What kind of Ultimate would she be?_

 _What kind of partner?_

" _Please. Misa, please!"_

 _Touma. Why was he here? Crying. He never cried, always laughed off any kind of emotion like it was just for little girls and boys who still hadn't left the safety of their mothers' arms. Not like her. She was strong, like him. It's why they worked._

 _But here he was, kneeling in front of her, tears and snot mixing on his face, his hands shaking in the air._

" _Misa, please!" he repeated. Lost. Scared._

 _Pitiful._

" _Shoot him," the voice commanded. A male voice, deep and smooth. It should have been scary or intimidating, but instead it just sounded nice. Safe. The voice could tell her to march naked into Hell, and she would._

 _Wait, why was she doing this again? Why couldn't her brain just work? She just needed a second to get her bearings. She could figure it out._

 _She shot him anyway._

 _The blood wasn't red like she was expecting, but instead bright pink. Right. Of course. Why not?_

 _She blinked, and her gun slipped from numb fingers, disappearing into wisps of smoke before it could clatter on the ground. The body in front of her wasn't Touma's. It belonged to a girl with long, peach hair and a shirt with koi fish printed it on it._

 _She was beautiful. So beautiful._

 _But her eyes burned with absolute hatred, low and vicious and wrong and what had she done? It was all her fault it was all her fault it was all her fault itwasallherfault –_

 _A hand, warm and comforting and grounding, appeared on her shoulder. It turned her around as the other hand came up to wipe away tears she didn't know were there. She looked up at him, at white hair and eyes that shifted from blue to red and back again, at a smile that was equal parts kind and nasty and never matched the eyes that it appeared under. Red eyes with a kind smile. Blue eyes with a nasty one._

 _And she calmed._

 _Of course._

 _Because this was what she was good for. This was what she did. The only thing that she could do to pay back the beautiful, brilliant boys that were so much better than she could ever hope to be._

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

"Ahem! Rise and shine! It is now 8 am! Get ready for a… oh, you bastards know the rest by now."

Misa slowly forced her eyes open, staring directly into the eyes of Itami's teddy bear. Ugh, she already had a pounding headache. She burrowed deeper into her blankets, mentally willing the day to simply not start. Wouldn't that be nice? If time could just stop while she was in bed and only resume when she was actually read to get out and face the day again.

Hoshina was probably going to want to continue the discussion from yesterday. It wasn't like anything actually got resolved. All people did was yell at each other. And blame each other. And glare. Really, it was an awful environment for trying to eat.

She blinked.

Wait a second.

She had purposefully turned that teddy bear around so that its eyes wouldn't bore into her soul, and hadn't touched the thing since. Sooooo…. Why was it facing forward?

Misa's gaze flicked up to the camera on her ceiling. It was still covered in tape. That was fine. She slowly sat up and took stock of her room. As far as she could see, the teddy bear was the only thing that was different. She slipped her hand under her pillow and grabbed her magazines. She wasn't stupid enough to sleep with her guns loaded. The bullets went under her pillow where no one could get them without waking her up, and the unloaded guns were stashed in the back of her desk drawer. Still, she made sure to check everything over before loading her guns and slipping them into her holster.

Next Misa, well quite frankly, tore her entire room apart. She flipped her mattress, dumped out all the desk drawers, and may have slightly broken the bottom of her closet looking for a hidden compartment. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The only thing that was different was that damn teddy bear.

"What the fuck?" she whined, collapsing onto the floor in an ungraceful heap. Seriously, she did not have time for this mind games bullshit, okay? Her mind had more than enough things to worry about. "Oh, crap." She had to clean this all up at some point, didn't she? Honestly, it was a miracle that Monokuma hadn't appeared to scold her.

Misa looked up as someone knocked on her door. She lifted herself up with a groan and opened it to stick her torso through. Shoma stood on the other side, one hand covering his mouth as he yawned.

"You're late," he said.

"For…?"

"Breakfast. Hoshina told me to get you." Misa involuntarily winced. One corner of Shoma's mouth lifted into what could have been called an actual smile. "Don't worry. Miyu and Zettai started bitching at each other the moment she arrived." Annnnnnd… smile gone. Okay, maybe she should change the subject.

"Has Kotoko bolted yet?"

"No, but I told Hoshina that she might want to duct tape her to the chair." He shrugged. "It's efficient." Misa bit back a laugh. Yeah, efficient was certainly one word for it. Shoma tilted his head to the side. "You keep your room very messy."

"Someone broke in." Instantly, his face changed as he took a half-step closer to her. "Relax. It's no big deal. They just moved shit around."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"Are you _sure?_ "

Misa looked at him flatly. "I know how to search a room for bugs and stuff."

Shoma inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. She could almost see the gears turning in his mind as his eyes darted over the wreck that was her room. "This really isn't good," he finally said. Misa shrugged and slipped out of her room, making sure that it locked behind her.

"You're kinda cute when you go all protective," she told him with a quick grin. "No wonder Hoshina likes you so much."

Shoma glared at her, even as his face flushed light pink. "This isn't funny, Misa."

"Never is," she muttered as they went down the hall to the dining room. True to Shoma's word, they could hear the yelling long before they actually got there. Misa faltered more than once, but Shoma absolutely refused to let her turn around and hide somewhere until there were less angry people. Ass.

Surprisingly, though, the usual suspects were not the ones who were actually upset at each other.

"You just don't have the full story!"

"That's not exactly what's important right now!"

"Not important? Not important!?" Someone slammed their hands on the table. "Girl, can you even hear yourself right now?"

"Girl? Is that really my nickname?"

"I'm sorry that it's a little hard to say GISNANF when I'm yelling at you!"

Miyu and Kat faced off from across the table. Kat's face was bright red, while Miyu obviously hadn't slept very well last night. Everyone else simply looked incredibly confused, except for Sumire who had this funny, little smile on her face, and for Zettai who probably never looked confused a day in his life.

"That's still kinda a shitty nickname, Kit Kat," Misa said as she and Shoma entered, raising her eyebrows at the sight of them. Why were Miyu and Kat fighting? Those two out of anyone here should never be fighting. Fuck, why was everything suddenly going wrong? It wasn't fair. She had been playing this okay so far. Things shouldn't be spiraling yet.

"It's an acronym," Kat said quietly. His gaze skittered around Misa like he was afraid of what he would see if they made eye contact. Sumire's smile deepened.

Beside her, Shoma sighed. "That makes five," he muttered quietly before taking the roundabout route to the kitchen. Zettai stared at Shoma the entire time, only looking away when the analyst paused to gently touch Hoshina's shoulder in greeting and the psychologist leaned into the touch.

Five?

 _Five?_

Five what?

Misa squeezed her eyes shut and scrubbed both hands over her face. When she opened her eyes again, both Ryo and Rudolph were looking at her.

"Are you okay?" Rudolph asked. "Do you want a hug?" Misa started to wave him off but he was already up and running to squeeze her tight around her middle. Misa just kind of stood there for a moment, her hands raised awkwardly in the air, before gently wrapping one arm around his narrow shoulders.

"You know, you usually wait for someone to say yes before you hug them," she told him.

"But you were going to!" Rudolph squeezed her one last time before letting go. "See? You feel better now. You're smiling!"

Huh. And so she was. Misa ruffled Rudolph's hair in thanks, earning a pout form the horror novelist as he tried to fix the mess she had just made of it, and headed into the kitchen just as Shoma left.

The rest of breakfast was… well, tense would be an understatement. Every time Hoshina tried to restart the discussion from yesterday, Kotoko would quickly divert it away. Honestly, it was very impressive to watch. Kotoko would use some of the louder personalities; stir them up with a simple, innocent question that left Hoshina unable to get a word in edgewise. Sure, every time she did it, she seemed to shrink further and further into herself, but it still worked. Finally, Hoshina just gave up, turning her body to fully face Shoma in what was probably the largest display of passive aggressiveness that Misa had ever seen out of her.

Finally though, people finished eating, and after a little bit of hesitation, drifted out of the room in pairs and groups of three. Fujiko, however, waved Satsuki off to go join Kotoko and Kat. The navigator waited until her friend was out of sight before bounding up to Misa with an excited grin on her face.

"You know shapes and sizes!" she declared.

Misa blinked up at her. "Umm…"

"You're good with shapes and sizes and stuff! Right? You found the elevator because there was extra room!"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess?"

"Great!" She reached over and grabbed Misa's wrist before tugging her forward, as if she was going to drag her clear across the table. "Come on! I need your help."

"With what? Hey! Stop pulling!"

"It's something really, really, _really_ important."

"That doesn't – ow! Okay, fine. Just let me go around the table, okay?"

Fujiko dragged Misa to the art room to grab a tape measurer and then to the third floor. She absolutely refused to say what Misa would be using her supposedly excellent shapes and sizes skills for, which honestly wasn't very fair. How could Misa use things to the best of her abilities if she didn't have context or a goal? You usually needed a goal of some kind. That was appreciated in most circles. Heh. Circles. Shapes. Oh, she was hilarious.

As soon as they reached the third floor, Fujiko immediately turned and headed to the pool. She was practically bouncing. Seriously, where the hell did this girl get so much energy? It had been no more than five minutes and Misa was already completely exhausted.

"Okay, first we have to figure out how big this pool is," Fujiko told her.

"Yeah, this is way too big for me to just eyeball and come up with a number," Misa said.

"Duh. That's what the tape measurer is for!"

"Why don't you just ask Monokuma?"

"Nope!"

Yeah, that wasn't really an answer. Still, it was the only one that Misa got before one end of the tape measurer was thrust into her hands and Fujiko went off running to the other side of the pool. Over the next few minutes, the pair took every measurement imaginable. Length, width (on both ends of the pool), depth (in four different areas)… it was just a lot and it soon became clear that Misa was supposed to just remember all of these. Which, she could. She had to repeat them aloud a couple of times, but the numbers stayed in her head easily enough.

It was a little hard to chat, especially when Fujiko dove down to the bottom of the pool, but they still managed to carry out a conversation.

* * *

 **Misa:** So, this might come off as a mean question.

 **Fujiko:** Is it about my talent?

 **Misa:** It might be.

 **Fujiko:** That's okay. I'm used to people not understanding it.

 **Misa:** Well, when you say Ultimate Navigator, I think of something like navigating the Ship. Not like… actual boats.

 **Fujiko:** It's the same exact idea!

 **Misa:** Is it? A spaceship and a ship… ship seem like they'd be really different.

 **Fujiko:** Nope! They both use all the same things. Like stars and compasses and landmarks!

 **Misa:** So then where this is thing with boats come from?

 **Fujiko:** It's not a _thing_!

 **Misa:** Alright, alright. Sorry, didn't mean to hit a sore spot.

 **Fujiko:** No, it's… my dad was a sailor. Back on Earth.

 **Misa:** Oh. Things make more sense now.

 **Fujiko:** Yeah. Did you know that he says that my eyes look just like the ocean?

 **Misa:** How would I ever know that?

 **Fujiko:** Well, they do!

 **Misa:** Uh huh.

 **Fujiko:** So it's fate! I'm going to find a planet with oceans, and I'm going to be a sailor!

 **Misa:** You… you do realize that the closest planet is still like forty years away, right? That's what they say.

 **Fujiko:** Shut up!

* * *

 **Fujiko's Profile Card: Entry One**

Fujiko got her love of sailing from her father, who was a sailor back on Earth. She's very determined to sail an actual boat on an ocean, even though navigating a boat and the Ship are supposedly very similar.

* * *

Fujiko was visibly huffy as they finished up at the pool. But their work wasn't finished yet. Fujiko led Misa back down to the art room to where the boards of wood sat. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at the boards, as if willing them into shape with her mind.

"So… Am I done here?"

"I want to build a boat," Fujiko said. Okay, what? That was definitely not where Misa expected this to go. A boat? Like an actual boat? "Or a raft, I guess. The pool isn't really big enough for an whole boat."

"Yeah, you lost me," Misa said.

"Monokuma is wrong," Fujiko said, her voice low and insistent. "He is totally wrong! My dream isn't impossible! And I'm going to prove it to him! I just need to build something, and then I can sail it, and boom! Dream complete! Screw you, you stupid bear."

Oh. Right. Of course. Zettai's secret wouldn't be the only one with consequences. There were others. Everyone had a precious, hidden part of their soul stripped away and forced into the light for all to see. People couldn't just pretend that it never happened, no matter how much they may want to.

Fujiko wasn't ignoring it, though. No, she embraced her secret, challenged it, rejected it as false. Instinctively, like that was the only valid response.

"He is a very stupid bear," Misa said, her throat suddenly far too tight. "Okay. So we need a raft that won't sink, but it small enough that it'll fit in the pool." Fujiko nodded. "I've never built a raft before."

"Me either. It'll be an adventure! Oh, and it won't just be us. I got other people to help building, but I thought that you might be good with shapes and stuff!" Fujiko paused before leaning her head in closer. Her voice did not drop to a whisper, though. "And Hoshina might have told me to include you so that you're not all alone because alone is bad. Which is weird, because you're not alone! Everyone likes you. So I don't know what she was talking about."

"Oh."

Oh. Well, it wasn't like she had been especially subtle about the tensions going on. Or maybe Hoshina knew something. It wouldn't necessarily surprise Misa. She did have that whole therapy session where she basically said that Zettai was doing some shady shit. Especially if she and Shoma really did talk like she assumed they did. Still, regardless of why she told Fujiko to look after her, it was… nice. Yeah, nice. That was the adequate word for it, right? Nice.

Completely unnecessary, of course. And insulting if she really thought that Misa needed someone to try and give her allies. But maybe it was a little nice.

Fujiko had already moved on, chattering about what type of wood they should use and how many layers of wood they would need. Misa only half-listened, making the appropriate noises at what was probably the right times. Eventually, though, she managed to extricate herself from the conversation.

Kotoko and Satsuki were the only ones still on the first floor, laughing and playing a board game in the lounge. Rudolph, Ryo, and Kat were on the observatory on the second floor. Huh. So people were trying to reclaim the space then. Good. She finally had luck, though, in the greenhouse.

Although really, maybe she should have checked there first. Hoshina sat on one of the benches, surrounded by flowers like something out of a painting. As Misa hung back and watched, Shoma reached over to pluck a soft, pink rose and hand it to her. She accepted it with a shy smile, tucking it behind her ear. Pink suited her. Sweet and gentle. Shoma looked distinctly pleased by her reaction.

Misa almost didn't want to interrupt them. Almost.

"Why don't you guys just kiss already and get it over with?" she asked, grinning when Hoshina yelped and jumped out of her skin. Shoma just looked pissed off. And embarrassed, of course. That was a given.

"Go away," he growled.

"Stop it. I'm sure Misa came here for a reason," Hoshina told him.

"Don't care. We're…" he gestured with one hand in the space between them. Hoshina flushed an even bright pink, but turned all of her attention to Misa.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"You sicced Fujiko on me."

"Told ya she would spill," Shoma said. He tilted his head so that Hoshina would shift slightly down the seat. He sat down as soon as there was room.

"It was more a preventative measure," Hoshina said. "I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything." Misa crossed her arms in front of her and waited for a moment. Hoshina's smile faded. "A support system is very important in stressful situations like this."

"I'm doing fine," Misa said. Shoma made a sound that was probably meant to be a laugh. "Doing better than you."

"Not for long," he said. Misa frowned. Shoma rolled his eyes.

"I'm simply concerned for you," Hoshina said, glancing at Shoma out of the corner of her eye. "I remember what you said. Before. Um… and I don't want people to blame you for something you were pressured into."

Misa's postured straightened. "Pressured into? Hoshina, no one ever forced me to do anything. Not for lack of trying, maybe but..."

"There more than one kind of pressure," she said softly before giving her head a tiny shake. When she spoke again, her voice was more confident. "You're our friend. I just want to look out for you."

"Look, I appreciate it but – " whatever else Misa was going to say was cut off by a series of very loud crashes from across the hall. "Oh, what now?"

As the trio went off to investigate, Misa heard Shoma say, "Told you she wouldn't like it."

"Yes, but she wasn't mad," Hoshina told him in a quieter voice.

"I never said 'mad.'"

"No, I think your word was 'furious'?"

Across the hall, they found Ryo tangled up in some kind of xylophone stand like he had tried to dive between the legs and gotten stuck. And after getting stuck, he had flailed around and landed in the percussion section. Rudolph stood next to him, trying to hold the stand steady as Ryo squeezed out of it.

"What the hell did you do?" Misa asked.

Ryo looked up at her and tried to shrug. A bell chimed at the movement. "I was… chasing Monokuma?"

"Why would you do such a thing?" Hoshina asked, peering around Misa to look at the mess.

"He was being really mean to Kat!"

"Yeah!" Rudolph chimed in.

"So you both decided to… chase him," Misa said.

Rudolph looked at the ground. "Well, I was chasing Ryo so that he wouldn't get in trouble."

"I wasn't going to hurt him!" Ryo protested. "Monokuma is still an animal, and I don't hurt animals."

Misa sighed, her headache from earlier returning with a vengeance. Right, of course Ryo would go and chase Monokuma with no intention of actually hurting him. Why not? It made as much sense as anything else. But why the fuck was Monokuma messing with her Kit Kat? Hadn't he done enough to him already?

"Can I have some help, please?" Rudolph asked. "I think he's really stuck."

Shoma sighed. "I'll go get cooking spray."

"Wait! Why do you want to cook me?"

The analyst rolled his eyes. "It'll help you slide out easier."

Hoshina shook her head, amused, and began straightening up the rest of the fallen instruments. After a moment, Rudolph joined her when he noticed that she was struggling with one of the larger drums. Of course, they both still struggled with it because it was giant and they were tiny, but Misa ignored helping them in favor of plopping down on the floor next to Ryo.

"Hi, Misa," he said quietly, maybe a little embarrassed now that everything had sunk in.

"Hey, Ryo."

"Are you going to laugh at me?"

"Oh, I already am. Don't worry."

Ryo stuck his tongue out at her. "Meanie."

"Yep. That's me. A big, old, mean bitch."

"But you're an alley cat! Not a dog!" Misa looked at him blankly. "Female dogs are called bitches!"

"Why is it that you know that but not how it's used in general conversation?"

"I know that too. I was just trying to be funny."

Misa tried to hold back her laughter. She really did. But something about the combination of words and situation and stress just made her dissolve into a fit of giggles. When she finally got it together again, Ryo was still looking up at her with wide, expectant eyes. And how could she resist eyes like that?

* * *

 **Ryo:** I'm glad that you're friends with everyone.

 **Misa:** I don't really know if that's true, Ryo.

 **Ryo:** I think so! Even if you fight, you're still friends.

 **Misa:** Well, what about you? Aren't you friends with everyone?

 **Ryo:** No, some people here are bullies. My parents told me not to talk to bullies.

 **Misa:** But you're glad that I'm friends with them?

 **Ryo:** Yeah! Everyone needs a friend! No one should ever be lonely. It's not very fun.

 **Misa:** That sounds like experience talking.

 **Ryo:** No, I got all my animals friends. They keep me company.

 **Misa:** … Right.

 **Ryo:** They're very good listeners! And the one rat living in my room has really good advice!

 **Misa:** What about, you know, human friends?

 **Ryo:** Animal friends are better.

 **Misa:** Better than Rudolph and Kat.

 **Ryo:** Wait – I… hey, that's not fair!

 **Misa:** It's just a question.

 **Ryo:** Most people really aren't nice to me like they are. They think I'm weird and make fun of me.

 **Misa:** But your animal friends don't.

 **Ryo:** Nope! They're really nice. You would like them!

 **Misa:** Well, maybe we can meet once we all get out of here.

 **Ryo:** Yeah!

* * *

 **Ryo's Profile Card: Entry One**

Ryo greatly prefers his animal friends to human friends. It sounded like he wasn't used to having normal friends, and that people usually bulled him instead. Still, he thinks that even bullies deserve to have a friend.

* * *

Shoma chose that moment to arrive with the cooking spray. Misa stood up to get out of his way, drifting slowly to the doorway. "Hey, Kit Kat still in the observatory?" she asked the room in general.

"That's where we left him," Rudolph told her. Misa gave a lazy, two-finger salute in lieu of thanks and went off to find her explosives expert. Engineer. Whatever. At least he was still where Rudolph and Ryo left him. It would be a pain in the ass to search all over the place for him. Especially now that they actually had a decent amount of space.

She knocked twice on the doorway, frowning when Kat barely reacted. He stood silently in front of the window, watching the stars. It looked quiet and peaceful, but even Misa was emotionally aware enough to pick up on the tension radiating off him. She slowly walked up to him, making sure to leave her footsteps loud and obvious.

"You know, I can see your reflection, Solo," he said.

"Damn. There goes my plan for scaring you." She paused for a second, trying to find the right words. "I will shoot at Monokuma for you, if you ask."

"Yeah, and then you die."

"At, Kit Kat. At. Key word there. I'm not actually going to hit him. Come on, I'm not that stupid."

"You sure?" he asked, running a hand through his hair. "Because I heard something really stupid recently."

Oh, fuck.

Seriously, him too? Fine. Fine! The next time she saw Sumire, she was going to wring her stupid, little neck. Maybe snap it if she was feeling particularly bold and gutsy. She probably wasn't that strong. Corner her, take her by surprise, done. Easy. Why the fuck not? It'd be cathartic too. Then maybe she could get the fuck out of here, find Tetsu, go back to living her normal life before she had so many people to care about and watch over and protect and –

"Misa?"

She startled out of her thoughts by a gentle touch on her arm. She flinched. "What?" she asked, voice far harsher than she meant for it to be. Kat's face fell, crushed by a reluctant realization.

"She was telling the truth, wasn't she?"

"I don't know, Kat. What is the truth?"

"That you're a liar and a murderer and you're using me so I can't trust you," he said quietly. Wow. Okay. Great.

"Anything else you want to add to that pile?" she asked, fighting and failing miserably to keep her voice level. Had Miyu told Sumire about the murderer part? Or was Sumire just lumping Itami and Tsuyoshi and Ryuu's deaths in with her crimes?

"That Miyu was really, really upset when she told me so I think she's a little biased?" Kat offered. "Like, she was really crying. It was messy." He looked increasingly nervous the longer Misa stayed silent. "Please tell me she's biased, Solo."

Misa turned her attention to the window as her fingertips ghosted over the edges of her guns. Miyu. Miyu had been the one who told Kat, not Sumire. Someone, that just made everything so much worse. Sumire had probably never trusted her. But Miyu… they were… she really thought that she was using them.

And she wasn't wrong, right? The plan from the start was always allies, not friends. Just some kind of connection to raise her chances of getting out of this mess in one piece. When had she forgotten that? Stupid bitch.

Obviously, she needed to go back to her roots. One partner. Only one person to care and worry about. Fuck everyone else. Let them die.

"Um, Misa? Not gonna lie, kinda freaking me out here," Kat said, leaning a little at the waist in order to get a decent look at her face. He finally caught her eye. She sent a brief, sad mental apology his way, and grinned with far too many teeth.

"No."

"Come on, Misa, don't say that."

"No, she wasn't biased."

"You're lying."

"Kinda some fucked up shit to lie about, Kit Kat."

Kat sputtered for a second, unable to properly form words. Or maybe decide which words he wanted to say first. He finally decided on, "You're working with Zettai?"

"That's what you go with? Not the cold-blooded murder. Huh. Interesting choice," Misa said, raising one hand to tap a finger along her jaw.

Kat looked like he wanted to shrug but ended up throwing his hands in the air instead. "Look, I get that part, okay? I've been in the life. I get it. It's whatever."

Wait –

"It's whatever?" Misa repeated. She slowly turned so that she could face him directly. Oh, Kat, why did you have to say something so perfect? "Interesting. And here I thought you left the Black Doves because they got a little too murder happy."

"I – I did!"

"But me killing my boyfriend is not big deal. Got it."

"No, that's not what I meant!" Kat said. At some point, both of their voices started steadily growing louder. But it's different when someone wants you to kill a punch of innocent people!"

"Got it, so one guilty person is okay. Oh! Like what Monokuma is doing!"

Kat flinched. "Damn it, Misa! Will you just – "

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, little terrorist."

And like with Miyu, Misa could pinpoint the exact moment where she had pushed just a little bit too far. All of the color drained from Kat's face. He took a step back, shaking his head with a hollow laugh. Misa clung to her anger, to the red clouding her vision. It made things better.

"Oh, you get nasty, don't you Solo?" he asked. He shook his head again. "I'm not just going to stand here and let you abuse me."

"Bye bye!" Misa said with mock cheer.

"Fuck it. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you and Bathroom Buddy deserve each other." Kat was halfway to the door before he turned back around, apparently unsatisfied with those being his last words. "You know he's just going to use you and throw you away too, right?"

"Really? Because where I'm standing, Zettai's the one only who hasn't betrayed me yet," Misa said. Right? Because that was what Kat was doing right now. He had freaked out on her the moment she did something that he didn't approve of, and now he was abandoning her.

Misa was a very good liar. She had been lying to herself about a lot of things for years. What was one more?

Kat looked at her like she had suddenly grown a second head. "No. No, you know what? Not touching that shit."

All of her anger vanished the moment he disappeared from sight, leaving her legs weak and wobbly. The stars. The stars were there. Safe and silent and they never judged her. They never cared about her or the shit that she did. They always gave her peace. They could do it again.

Even if at some point she had unholstered one of her guns without noticing, the weight familiar and comforting in her hand. Even as she tapped the muzzle against her jawline as her mind played through that conversation again. Even as she recoiled away the moment that she realized what she was doing, almost dropping the gun in the process.

"Should… should someone make sure she's okay?" Rudolph asked, his voice drifting from further down the hall.

"Fuck," she whispered. She had forgotten that there was an audience within yelling range.

Tight.

Too tight.

Her chest was suddenly way too tight. She couldn't breathe.

No, no, it was fine. She just needed to move. To get out of this room and the people down the hall and their quiet voices floating towards her with false worry and concern. She grabbed at the tatters of her anger, dragging the warm embers close, and stalked out into the hall.

"Leave me alone," she growled, barely sparing a glance from the group huddled at the other end. Fuck, she hoped that no one would try to talk to her while she waited for the elevator. Nothing was more embarrassing than trying to make a quick exit and being stopped by something stupid.

But at least luck was still on her side today. The elevator doors slid open before Misa could even press the button, depositing Zettai out into the hall. He took one look at Misa's face and immediately stepped back into the elevator.

"Oh, what did you do now?" he asked, gesturing for her to join him. Yeah, not right now.

"Get. Out."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, get out!" she yelled, roughly grabbing him by the arm and physically dragging him out of the elevator.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Zettai asked, immediately turning around to try and rejoin her again. So, Misa did the one thing that she always did when someone was doing something she didn't like. She raised her gun and pointed it at his chest.

Her hand trembled.

Zettai immediately raised his, even if he did look more annoyed than scared. "Come on, Misa. We both know that you aren't going to shoot me."

"Then why did you stop moving?" she asked with a sickly sweet smile as the elevator doors finally closed.

She didn't want to even consider the four shocked, confused, disappointed, and curious faces that stood behind him.

* * *

 **Remember, putting characters through pain hurts me just as much as it hurts you. Seriously, I hate writing everyone fighting. But that's just what they want to do. Next chapter, it's motive time!**

 **Until next time!**


	24. Chapter Three Part III

**Ello, everyone! Welcome back! I'm going to level with you guys for a second here. This chapter was a monster to write, to the point where I think it was low key messing with my head and I eventually had to say "enough" and cut it at the halfway point. So apologies if this chapter is on the shorter side. I don't like doing it, but sometimes you need to. Hopefully you guys enjoy it regardless! Some really heavy stuff happens in this one.**

 **Prince PokePersona: Yeah, Misa is kinda having a rough go at it lately, huh? She's doing lots of silly things, yelling at silly people, almost shooting people. It's not good. At least the other characters can balance her out with some wholesomeness! Maybe? Hopefully?**

 **TheRoseShadow21: *Incoherent screeching back***

* * *

To Misa's credit, she did not immediately return to her room with the intention of getting drunk. She originally went there because it was a safe, quiet place where there wouldn't be anyone for her to pull her gun on. The fact that she had a bottle of sake in there from when she first went exploring with Kotoko was an added bonus.

It wasn't like she was a drunk, or that it was one of her main ways to cope with whatever mess her emotions were in. It wasn't. It was an awful coping mechanism. But the longer she stared at the bottle, the longer she just wanted to forget something and feel something other than miserable and angry and hurt for just five minutes.

Besides, what else was she going to do? Actually put her room back in order? Please.

Honestly, the only real negative to her plan was that she ended up passed out on the floor because her mattress was still flipped on its side. And that her dreams, because there were always dreams now, were fragmentary and tense. Just flashes of light and faces and hands and mouths and guns and blood and stupid Monokuma laughing over and over again like she was the punch line of his favorite joke.

Misa awoke before the morning announcement. Her room was put perfectly back together, although whoever had done that had left her on the floor.

"Thanks," she muttered, squeezing her eyes shut when she sat up too quickly. Sure, it was incredibly creepy and violating for someone to do this while she was drunk, alone, vulnerable, and asleep, but if she thought about it that way she might start screaming. And screaming was no way to start a morning with a hangover.

She checked over her guns to make sure they weren't tampered with and sighed. This was going to start another conversation, wasn't it? Understandable, really. She wouldn't be comfortable either if someone else was just waving one around or aiming it at people who pissed her off. What was that one rule? Never point your gun at something you don't want to shoot.

Still, her hands tightened around her babies. They were hers. She couldn't just give them up. What kind of mother abandoned her children like that?

No one else was in the dining room by the time Misa got there. It must have been early. Or late, depending on whether or not she slept through the morning announcement. Still, there was a general quietness to the air that made her lean more towards the idea that everyone was still asleep.

Good.

The longer she could put off facing actual people the better.

She plugged in her food order, something light for once since she really didn't want to explain to anyone why she was throwing up, and quickly ate it in the kitchen. She set her bowl to the side with a sigh. Okay, today would have to be about damage control. Miyu and Kat were a lost cause. Sumire was a bitch who could go and fall out an airlock. Zettai… she would have to see with Zettai. But everyone was probably salvageable, assuming nobody had whispered poison in their ears yet. It would take a lot of lying and empty reassurances, but it would be manageable.

Or she could just go and hide in her room all day. That would be easier. Less scary too.

Yeah, let's do that.

It could never be that simple, though. Not when Miyu walked in the exact moment that Misa walked out of the kitchen. Both girls froze when they saw each other. Misa looked away first.

"Morning," she said.

"Did you have to say those things to Kat?" Miyu asked.

"Skipping all the nice stuff. Got it."

"I'm serious, Misa."

Misa looked back at her. It looked like Miyu hadn't been sleeping well either. The bags under her eyes rivaled Misa's and her hair was barely brushed. Misa shrugged. "I'm not really sure what else you were expecting. I'm an awful person, remember?"

"Oh, so you agree that it was awful. Good. I guess that's some kind of progress," she said.

"Right," Misa said with a nod. "Good talk, Miyu." She tried to walk past her, but Miyu pivoted and grabbed her hand, cold fingers circling around Misa's wrist. Miyu stared at their joined hands. Misa stared at her. Neither of them said a word, but Misa could feel something like bile rising up through her gut and burning and clogging her throat until she had to whisper, "Please, let go."

 _ **Bing bong, ding dong**_

"Attention, everyone! Attention! It's time to wake up, and for a beary special announcement! Please gather in the auditorium immediately."

An announcement a couple of days after a trial? At this point, it could really only mean one thing. Misa looked up to see Miyu already staring at her. And, for a moment, they were in sync again, ready to take on the whole damn Ship together. The feeling was beautiful and gorgeous, washing away the taste of bitter acid with something sweet and comforting. Heady and addicting and bright and warm.

And then it was gone, broken by the opening and closing of doors, of their fellow Ultimates bracing themselves for the inevitable. Surprise flashed across Miyu's face, like she had forgotten that she was supposed to hate her.

Miyu let go of her hand.

Misa left for the auditorium without a single glance back.

She arrived in the middle of the group, plopping herself down in a chair without making eye contact with anyone. She could feel their eyes on her though, worried and concerned about the crazy bitch with the guns, could feel the tension sky rocket as Rudolph still tried to carry on a too loud conversation with Ryo and Kat. Misa slouched down further in her seat, her shoulders creeping up closer to her ears.

She watched Zettai enter the auditorium out of the corner of her eye. He looked at her immediately, pausing in the doorway just long enough for it to be called a hesitation, before standing alone along one of the walls. Sumire was only seconds behind him, and made a beeline for Miyu. After a moment, Kat left his group to join the pair as well.

Everyone else was in their expected groups. Hoshina and Shoma stood very close together towards the back of the room. Kotoko kept staring at them, even if she pretended otherwise. Fujiko and Satsuki had pulled her into their small circle, though, and the three of them sat a few rows away from Misa. After a moment, Ryo and Rudolph joined the trio. Satsuki looked a little uncomfortable about this, but that was probably just the fact that she was suddenly surrounded by some very loud people.

But everyone was very far apart from each other. Yes, they usually stayed in separate groups, but they were always bunched together, close enough that they could lend each other strength if need be. Now, they were as separated as physically possible. Isolated. And that only became more apparent as the conversations slowly died down and silence took over.

Even Monokuma's arrival was silent. He simply appeared behind the podium on stage without any fanfare or theatrics. He stood there, just watching everyone, his red eye slowly shifting from person to person until it finally landed on Misa. She grinned at him which only made his eye glow brighter.

"You know," the bear said, and something in his voice tripped every internal alarm bell that Misa had, "I had this thing all planned. I was very proud of my motive, testing the bonds of friendship and love that you bastards have formed over the past couple weeks. It was going to be beautiful." He sniffed, wiping away nonexistent tears. His face changed in an instant, angry and cruel. "But then _somebody_ just had to go and nuke those plans! Is there anything you touch that you don't ruin, my dear Misa?"

"No, not really," Misa said, and there was just enough truth in that to hurt. "It's a gift."

"Well, you all can thank Miss Ultimate Fuck Up here for your lovely motive." There was a moment's pause, as if Monokuma was waiting for a chorus of complaints, but none came forward, only some very awkward shifting around and a lack of eye contact. "Shall we begin?"

A screen and projector descended from the ceiling as the lights dimmed. Someone, probably Rudolph, whimpered quietly. Monokuma moved off to the side of the stage so that he wouldn't be in the way and held up some kind of remote. With a click, the projector turned on.

On screen was a video of a man in his young twenties as he left the front door of his house, pausing only to make sure that it was locked behind him. The video played on a loop, over and over again, focusing in tighter on the man with every iteration. "Nikita!" Rudolph yelled, standing up with enough force to push his chair backwards.

Monokuma giggled. "Very good! Poor Nikita. He's been so sad since his younger brother disappeared. It would be such a shame if something were to happen to him on his way to work one morning. Why, I can't even imagine how his parents would feel, losing their two precious sons so closely together."

All of the blood drained out of Rudolph's face. "You leave him alone!"

"Well, that's up to you now, isn't it?" Monokuma said, and that was the moment that Misa finally understood. Of course. Threatening your loved ones was a time-honored motive at this point. It was bound to come up eventually. It actually made life a lot easier for her. The only person that they could threaten was Tetsu, and he could more than take care of himself. This motive was worthless against her.

Even if Rudolph's small, scared gasps as he tried desperately to keep from crying stirred something dark and red within her chest.

Monokuma clicked his remote and the image changed to that of a tall, lanky redhead sitting in one of the parks on B Deck, staring blankly at a chessboard. Sumire's hands curled into fists.

"Takara Hashiguchi," the bear continued. "You know, people are talking about giving him your title, Sumire! He's been winning so many matches since you've disappeared." He paused, again waiting for some kind of reaction. Sumire simply glared at him, stone-faced. Monokuma pouted. "Ugh, lame. Next!"

"Wait, are we really going to go through everyone?" Ryo asked.

"Monokuma, stop this now!" Miyu said, shoulders back and chin tilted up in defiance. Beside her, Kat nodded, even if his face was already pale with fear.

"Yeah, like that'll work," Misa muttered. Still, her fingers itched and her one knee bounced with nervous energy. The slideshow continued. A small cry came up from the back of the room. Misa looked over her shoulder to see Hoshina standing with both hands over her mouth. Shoma hovered uselessly behind her, his gaze darting back and forth between her and Monokuma.

On the screen was a man, presumably Hoshina's father judging by his age. He stumbled down a narrow, dirty street, past a bar that Misa had actually done a lot of business in. What the hell was he doing in a place like that? Naturally, Monokuma told them.

"Now this one is just sad. Akinari here has really crashed and burned without his precious daughter to take care of him. Not that he was functioning all that well with her but… I don't have to do anything to him. Won't be long now until he pisses off the wrong person and gets himself killed." Monokuma leaned in closer. "I bet no one would even attend the funeral."

"Shut up," Shoma growled, stepping out protectively in front of the psychologist, and very subtly blocking her view of the screen. Rage radiated off him in almost visible waves, matching the pressure building in Misa's chest. "You leave her out of this."

Monokuma cocked his head to one side. "Oh, I see," he said, his voice dripping with disdain, "you think you actually care about her. How sweet. As if someone like you could ever possibly care about someone or something other than despair."

Shoma flinched, rage immediately replaced by fear and self-loathing.

An odd sort of calm settled over Misa.

Monokuma clicked over to the next video, except there was no video. It was simply a very bad cartoon drawing of the bear shrugging. "I don't even have anyone I can use for this," Monokuma said. "Because there is no one, Shoma. You're far too broken inside for – "

Misa pulled out one of her guns and shot the projector three times. A lot of people screamed, either at the sudden noise or the shower of sparks that rained down as the picture cut off. Misa waited, leaning slightly to the side to make sure that the projector was well and truly dead before holstering her gun with a small, satisfied smile. She looked up at a now frozen and gaping Monokuma and shrugged.

"Oops. Misfire."

"Misa, what did you just do?" Kat whispered. But his voice wasn't filled with awe or gratitude. It was filled with terror, and that really didn't help Misa's confidence levels.

"She – she broke a rule," Kotoko said.

"Oops," Misa repeated, swallowing back her nerves as Monokuma's eyes narrowed. It wasn't like he was going to kill her. He didn't kill Kat for property damage, after all. It would be a serious double standard if she were to die now. Not fair at all.

"She did break a rule," Monokuma said slowly. "Well, I guess the rest of you aren't getting your motives! I need my projector to play my video." He paused and grinned and Misa stood in preparation for bolting out of the room. "But… I can still play audio. Even the audio of something that's happening right now! Because you're right, Kotoko. Our dear Misa did break the rules, and someone has to be punished for that!"

The loudspeakers clicked on, and for a small eternity, there was nothing but static. Static, and then the sound of a very heavy, metal door opening and closing. And then, a voice that turned Misa's blood to ice.

"Back already, boys?" Tetsu asked. "But I just had my breakfast." He had barely gotten the words out before the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh. Tetsu, the beautiful bastard that he was, laughed. "Wow, you got yourself a mean right hook there." Another blow, another laugh, although this one sounded a little winded. "Oh, so we're at this stage in our relationship."

"You stop this right now," Misa said, her voice flat and low like it was coming from outside her body. And maybe it was. Her entire field of vision had narrowed down to just that stupid, sadistic bear and his malevolent red eye. And there was the urge to lunge, to charge, to claw into Monokuma until there was nothing left but screws and scrap and the only thing holding her in check was her logic clinging to the memory of what happened to Ryuu when he tried it. And in the background, humming beneath it all, was the cold and the terror and the image of Tetsu lying on the ground, still and shocked as blood flowed freely from a wound that she couldn't see.

"Aww, you don't want to know how we got him?" Monokuma asked, somehow pausing at just the right moment to make sure that everyone could hear what sounded very much like a hard kick to the ribs. "Poor, clever Tetsu was – "

"I won't say it again," Misa interrupted.

"It's so cute that you think you have any power here."

Monokuma raised his paw, and there was a _crack_ and a _scream_ that Misa had never heard come out of Tetsu before and there was no more logic. Just a feral snarl that tore itself from her throat as she launched herself forward into a stiff forearm that latched itself around her waist, pulling her back while another hand grabbed onto her arm with bruising force. Misa thrashed, desperation making her sloppy but strong, only dimly aware of the chaos around her.

Of Hoshina still standing back the back of the room, paralyzed with a blank, unseeing gaze. Of Shoma running up to Misa, waiting to grab her the moment she broke free. Of Sumire standing towards the side, full to bursting with conflicting emotions that made no sense. Of Satsuki covering her ears, trying desperately to drown out the noise. Of Fujiko screaming obscenities at Monokuma. Of Kotoko trying very hard to comfort a sobbing Rudolph, even as her mind whirled with ways for this to end. Of Ryo trying so hard to be brave, yelling at Monokuma just as loud as Fujiko was. Of Kat clutching his cross hard enough for it to dent his skin, but unable to do anything else. Of Miyu standing frozen as she stares at Misa with horror and grief and something painful that she couldn't name. Of Zettai yelling in Misa's ear, even as he struggled to hold on to her, ordering her to snap out of it, to not be stupid, please.

But then something _crunched_ and Tetsu's scream went up an octave, catching brokenly in his throat, and Misa threw her head back, connecting hard with Zettai's jaw.

"Fuck!" he swore, arms loosening around Misa just enough for her to break free. She darted forward, slipping through Shoma's outstretched hands. Monokuma giggled and waved at her before disappearing behind the podium. The audio cut off the moment he was gone, and Misa's knees suddenly gave out underneath her. She stumbled to a stop, planting her hands on the stage to keep herself from collapsing fully.

Breathe. Breathe, Misa. Just breathe.

But she couldn't.

Not with the screaming still ringing in her ears, echoing again and again and again and again and again and it was all her fault. She did this to him. To him. The one person she really couldn't hurt. She stopped the hurt. Not caused it. That was her one job. The one thing that she was supposed to do in life and she failed and they were hurting him and she couldn't breathe.

"Wait, do we not get a motive then?" Ryo asked quietly. "Is my family safe?"

"Nikita! But they have Nikita! What if… what if they hurt him… like," Rudolph looked up at the ceiling. Misa squeezed her eyes shut.

"They don't have anyone," Shoma said quietly. "Monokuma just showed us videos. We don't know when they were taken. It means nothing."

"We weren't listening to a video," Satsuki said. "That was very real."

"She broke the rules. This is why you don't break the rules," Kotoko said, seemingly to herself.

"This is just like any other motive," Miyu said, clearing her throat when her voice sounded far too tight. "We just need to work together and no one will get hurt."

"No one will get hurt, huh?" Misa echoed.

"I – "

"You just mean that no one important will get hurt, right?" There were more words on the tip of her tongue, poisonous and vile, but she swallowed them back, too fragile inside to do anything more.

"Misa?" Fujiko asked.

They were staring at her. Of course they were staring at her. The psychotic bitch with two guns that only exists to inflict pain and misery on everyone around her, no matter how nice things might seem. It never stays that way. It always goes wrong. They always leave and betray her or she gets them hurt or –

The next thing Misa knew, she was running. Out of the auditorium, past the people who called after her, and down the hall. There was no place to run, but maybe she could hide. Or least get a way. Just for a little bit.

She wound up at the bar on the third floor, hiding behind it. The elevator was loud enough that she would have plenty of warning if someone arrived, and there was a cabinet that she could probably squeeze into to hide. It was as good a place as any. It was almost nice to have the cabinet handle digging into her spine. The pain gave her something real, something tangible to focus on. Something that kept her here instead of trapped in a loop of screams and snapped bones and all her fault.

She almost expected someone to immediately follow her up, probably Hoshina considering her talent, but no one came. There was just silence and alone as Misa sat on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest. And the silence let her think. Not get sucked into a whirlpool of thoughts, but to actually think, to approach things systematically and logically.

Monokuma's motive was that he would hurt or kill someone that the Ultimates loved if no one committed a murder. And for Misa, that person was Tetsu. Someone that she knew Monokuma had access to. It would be trivial to kill him. And that was unacceptable. Which only left one option.

Misa had to kill someone.

The idea settled heavy in her gut, unwelcome and unwanted, but still accepted. Misa would kill someone. Here. And then go through a class trial and…

And…

And she was getting ahead of herself. Murder first. Class trial second.

She needed someone to kill. Sumire's name naturally popped up first. But then she ran into the Ryuu Issue. It was too obvious. The smart thing to do would be to kill one of the intellectual powerhouses. Zettai. Shoma. Miyu. Sumire again, but she's already discounted. But the idea of killing Zettai made her nauseous. Killing Shoma would just be inflicting pain and misery on Hoshina. And Miyu –

That wasn't an option.

At all.

So then she would go for the weakest people. The stupid, gullible ones who could be easily overpowered. But as soon as she thought of a name, a memory bubbled up. Ryo laughing to himself as he explained why everyone was a certain animal. Rudolph showing her his book of creatures and promising to write her a horror story about her favorite one. Satsuki and her wistful desire to attend a real school.

Misa buried her face in her knees. This wasn't even considering the class trial. Because if she won, it wouldn't really matter who she killed. Monokuma would execute all the others for guessing the wrong killer. She wasn't just picking one person to kill. She was committing to killing everyone here.

And still, a small part of her accepted that sacrifice. Tetsu was her partner. He came first. Always. She had to trade the lives for everyone here for his. There was no other way.

Unless…

"Hey."

Misa yelped, hand scrambling for one of her guns before she registered that it was Shoma standing next to her. "What – How did you sneak up on me!"

He shrugged. "I asked Monokuma to turn off the chime for the elevator. Can I sit?"

"No." He sat anyway, leaning against the wall opposite of Misa. She pulled her knees tighter to her chest and looked away. "Go away," she muttered.

"No."

"Why not?"

Shoma sighed, thinking over his words. "I guess I'm just a stubborn bitch." He looked at Misa out of the corner of his eye, lips quirked into a half-smile.

Misa shook her head. "That's a terrible thing to be."

"There are worse things."

"You really think so?"

"Of course. You could be a Zettai."

That got a faint smile out of her. "Just shut up and go away."

"No. So, who did you decide to kill?" Shoma asked casually, and her head snapped up immediately to look at him. Shoma smiled, although it was far from a kind gesture. "Don't have to be the Ultimate Analyst to figure it out. Volatile emotions, feelings of isolation from the group, triggered Momma Bear complex, all the signs are there."

Shit.

"You realize that that just makes me want to kill you, right?" Misa asked. Sure, her tone was light and teasing but neither of them believed it to be genuine for a moment.

Shoma shook his head. "You're not going to kill me."

"You're very certain."

"It's not like I'm ever wrong. Besides, someone else will fall to the motive. You don't have to do anything. We wait a couple of days and someone will take the bait. They always do." Shoma looked at her, eyes seeing directly into her soul. "Just wait them out, and you will be okay."

Just wait them out. Sit back and do nothing and hope that Tetsu was okay.

Uh huh, sure. That was definitely how she operated.

"I'm serious, Misa."

"You're always serious."

Shoma sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Okay. Whatever. Can we go back downstairs now?"

"You're welcome to leave anytime," she told him.

"Not without you. You need to shore up your allies," he said. Misa laughed, dark and low.

"Pretty sure I burned those bridges already."

"I'm here," he pointed out. "Hoshina is downstairs wishing she could be up here."

"Why?" Misa asked.

"Why what?"

"Why are you here?"

There was no reason for him to be here. He knew her and Zettai's secret, he overheard all those awful things she said to Kat, he saw her wave a gun in Zettai's face like a fucking idiot. He knew she really wanted to – need to – kill someone right now. And he was here, and he shouldn't be here. He should've been smart enough to leave her like everyone else.

"Because you're the stubborn bitch who dragged me out of Hell. And I'm not letting you take my place there," Shoma said, simply and softly as if commenting on the weather. "You're my only friend."

"Hoshina's your friend too," Misa said.

Shoma raised his eyebrows. "Misa, Hoshina and I are, uh, a little bit more than friends. I think."

"You hope," she said with a quick grin that didn't reach her eyes. At least someone here was having luck on the romantic front. Lucky bastard.

"Is it a cliché if I use that word or no?" he countered, and that, for whatever reason, was what pushed Misa over the edge. She just started laughing, breathy and weak, the kind of laughing that could oh so very easily tip over into crying if you let it. Misa bit her bottom lip and covered her face with her hands. She wouldn't let it turn into crying.

"I'm going to die here, aren't I?" she said. Sure, it was phrased like a question, but she already knew the answer. She was just looking for confirmation.

"No."

"No?"

"Misa," Shoma said, "You are the only person here that I am certain will survive. Actually survive this."

Oh. Right. Death was for other people. Not her. Shoma sounded so confident when he said that too. So he must be right. After all, he was never wrong. An Analyst could predict everything, right? That's why the world got boring. So if he said something, then it had to be true.

She just didn't know whether or not she wanted it to be true. Actually surviving this could mean a couple of different things.

Shoma sighed and stood before offering her his hand. "Come on. We got more allies to make." Misa stared at his hand for a long moment before taking it, letting him pull her up on her feet. She bumped her shoulder against his as they walked. "You're welcome," he said.

* * *

 **There's a poll up on my profile. Now that we have a motive, it's time to pick your victims! Yes, victims. It's Chapter Three. We all know how this works by now. Also, I'm going to make another plug for the Despair Ship discord. It's fun. I post sneak peeks. People yell at me. It's a good time all around. Message me if you want an invite!**

 **Until next time!**


	25. Chapter Three Part IV

**Oh my goodness, this chapter disliked me. To say it and grad school chewed me up and spat me out again would be an understatement. And it's only about half of what it should be. But we're here now! I've missed you. I hope you've missed me. If grad school is kind, I'll try not to vanish again.**

 **What else? I now I have a side story for Despair Ship where I post little, fun fragments whenever the mood strikes me. I also accept prompts there. Feel free to check it out and send me stuff!**

 **Prince PokePersona: Third Case Syndrome is a killer, and I'm not even at the trial yet! What the heck! haha Poor Misa. She is a bit unlikeable now, isn't she? She's been having a rough couple of chapters, and that's really not about to change.**

 **TheRoseShadow21: This is true. Misa has not shot anyone yet. She should be commended. We'll have to see if that changes! ;)**

* * *

Shoma led Misa back down to the first floor to the art room. It was alive with a flurry of activity. Hoshina and Ryo carefully measured and cut wooden boards while, on the completely opposite side of the room, Satsuki and Kotoko bound them together with rope. Rudolph sat at one of the tables, hunched over a pile of papers, pen pressed against his lips in deep thought. And Fujiko, of course, oversaw it all, running from one group to another, making sure that everything was absolutely and exactly perfect.

Misa looked at Shoma. He shrugged. "Figured we'd start on easy mode before tackling the people who are actually pissed at you." Right. That's who was missing. On any other day, Kat would be here, trying to make the argument that working cannons were a very necessary addition. Or Miyu would be… somewhere. Doing something helpful, probably, since she could never just stand still or leave well enough alone. But they weren't here. Where were they? With Sumire? The very idea made her chest feel far too tight.

Fujiko surveyed the room once more, her eyes lighting up when she noticed the pair standing just inside the doorway. "Guys! Great! We need more hands! Shoma are you…" she trailed off as Shoma headed straight for Hoshina without a single word. The psychologist looked up at him with a smile, even if her gaze was concerned. Fujiko nodded. "Right. Should have seen that coming." She turned to Misa and all of her confidence seemed to drain away, replaced with nervous fidgeting. Misa cleared her throat.

"Shapes?" she offered, and Fujiko accepted the lifeline gratefully.

"Shapes!" she repeated. "Um, would that be cutting the wood or putting it together?"

"Both? Maybe?"

"Okay! Just go back and forth then," Fujiko decided. "People can get you up to speed." She clapped her hands together. "We're going to make a boat! Raft. Whatever!"

Misa smiled slightly as Fujiko bounced off to check on Rudolph. After a moment's thought, she walked over to join Kotoko and Satsuki, who seemed to be having some trouble getting the boards to line up properly. "Need any help?"

"I think you've helped enough," Kotoko said flatly. Misa blinked in surprise. That was certainly not the reaction that she had been expecting. Satsuki carefully looked away from the pair. "I… I'm sorry. That was very unkind. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay. I probably deserve it," Misa told her, the words hitting just a little bit too close to home for her to successful pull off the joking manner she wanted.

"No, no, I really shouldn't have – "

"Stop apologizing."

"I'm sorry," Kotoko muttered again, and Misa just looked at her.

Satsuki bit her bottom lip. "Do you want to hold this?" she asked, pointing to a board that needed to be secured at an angle. "So maybe we can be quiet and work?"

Misa nodded and knelt down to hold it as Satsuki tied it off. Kotoko just kind of stared off into the middle distance, so Misa wasn't entirely surprised when she spoke up again. "Why did you have to shoot the projector? It's against the rules. We're not supposed to break the rules."

"Seemed like a good idea at the time."

"It wasn't."

"Yeah, no shit."

"Do you regret it?" Satsuki asked when it became clear that there was a lull in the conversation. Misa didn't really have an answer for her. The initial impulse was that the answer was obvious. Of course it was a mistake. One wrong thought, and Tetsu's awful screams would ring through her head again and again until something broke her out of the loop. But Monokuma had been hurting her people, and that really wasn't okay. Nobody was allowed to hurt her people. Especially not when she could do something about it. It was the murder question all over again, wasn't it? Which was more important?

Who was more important?

But Satsuki was still staring at her, still waiting for an answer. "Hey, I stopped the motive, didn't I?" Misa said. It was immediately clear that this was the wrong thing to say.

"Did you?" Kotoko asked quietly, as if she was talking to herself.

"We still know what it is. We just don't know who," Satsuki said.

"I think some people have guesses, but not knowing? I'm sorry, but it feels awful. I'm… I'm scared."

Satsuki didn't nod in agreement, but she didn't have to. Her eyes held the same fear that was plastered over Kotoko's face, that permeated Fujiko's movements. Misa shook her head. "Trust me. It's better not to know."

"I think your situation is a little bit different," Satsuki said.

"Yeah, probably just a bit," Misa said.

Kotoko frowned. "I'm sorry, but – "

"Okay, seriously, you need to stop apologizing," Misa snapped. "I get it. I'm the one who fucked up. Don't need anyone else to feel sorry for me."

"That… That wasn't what I was going to say." Oh. Whoops. Great, add something else on the pile of things Misa should feel guilty about. It's not like it wasn't big enough already. "Why is your situation different?" Everyone else's videos were silent and taken from far away."

"Monokuma did say something about your partner being clever," Satsuki said. "Maybe he broke a rule too?"

No, Misa knew exactly why there was a difference. Tetsu had come to rescue her, like she always knew and hoped he would. He had come to rescue her, but got caught instead like an idiot because she wasn't there to watch his back. She did the solo rescue missions. Not him.

"Do the outside people have rules too?" Kotoko asked, bringing Misa out of her thoughts. "I know in the first Killing Game, it was broadcast out to the general public. So everyone knew where the Ultimates were and what was happening, but they couldn't get through the defenses. It would make sense if something similar was happening here."

"The Ship isn't that big," Satsuki said with a short nod, but she didn't look comforted at all by the other girl's theory. And why would she be? It was one thing if they were all still trapped her because no one could find them. It was another thing entirely if any possible rescue efforts were killed before they could actually do anything. It suddenly made their captors a hell of a lot scarier.

"Guys, stop. Come on, Hoshina would scold you for being so negative," Misa said, forcing her tone to be light and playful. "It'll all work out." Kotoko glanced at the psychologist out of the corner of her eye, her frown deepening when she and Ryo laughed at something Shoma said. Satsuki just looked uncomfortable again. Misa held in a sigh. Right. Because why would she be able to say one right thing today? "You know what? I'm going to go and check on how they're doing."

"Have fun," Satsuki told her as Misa stood and dusted off her jeans. Misa shot her a grin and headed over, turning at the last second to make a quick detour to Rudolph. He hadn't moved since she and Shoma had arrived, which really was just the perfect way to wreck your back. Misa stood and watched him for a moment, waiting for him to acknowledge her. But he didn't so she trapped him on the shoulder instead.

Rudolph jumped and yelped before clutching his papers close to his chest, "Hey! You scared me!"

"Oops. Just wanted to see what you were working on."

Rudolph held his papers tighter, crinkling the paper. "You can't see it yet! I'm not done anymore. I need to fix it!"

"Fix it? Oh, wait! Is this my, oh what was it, my kitsune story you were going to write for me?"

"Maybe." Misa raised her eyebrows. "…Yes. But I need to fix the ending. It's too sad."

"That's okay," Misa told him. "I like sad endings. They're fun." Okay, maybe that was a lie. Just a small one, though. She liked bittersweet endings. Just pure, happy fluff never struck her as realistic, even in all of those silly dating games she would play. The world just didn't work like that, and pretending or hoping otherwise was ridiculous. Still, Rudolph apparently disagreed because he firmly shook his head.

"No."

"No?"

"You're too sad already. I don't want to make you even more sad. That isn't very nice. So I'm going to try and make you happy instead! I already practiced with writing a story for Ryo, so I should be better at the nice and happy endings now!"

"Rudolph…" But whatever else Misa was going to say dried up in her throat. She just pulled him into a hug with one arm. He leaned his head against her torso, looking up at her with a small, hopeful smile. "Listen, about your brother – "

"That's okay," he said. "If anything, it's a good thing. Now I know that they didn't hurt him when they took me!"

"That's a very optimistic way to look at it."

Rudolph shrugged, leaning back just far enough to break the hug. "I was really worried about it, but now I know that he's okay. That's a good thing. Right? I'm not being silly, am I?"

He was, but Misa couldn't find it in her heart to tell him that. It'd be like kicking a puppy. And yeah, Misa was a terrible person, but come on. She still had _some_ standards. Sometimes. "Nah, that's a good thing." Rudolph's smile widened, and she decided to let him get back to writing. He waved as she finally headed over to join Shoma, Hoshina, and Ryo. Or rather just Hoshina. Both boys had disappeared.

"They went to bring everyone sandwiches," Hoshina explained. "No one has really eaten yet today, but it's very important."

"So Shoma's bringing you food now. That's a switch."

"He's made a lot of progress recently. I'm very happy for him."

Misa made a face. "Yeah, maybe don't say it like that. You guys just… get weird when you start sounding clinical. Sounds like I need to report you for an ethics violation or whatever."

Hoshina's smile faded, replaced with concern. "I would never purposefully – "

"Relax, relax. I was joking." Mostly. Hoshina still didn't look amused. "I'm glad that you guys are, you know."

"Me too," she said softly, and damn if that didn't just send a brief pang of jealous longing through Misa. But she had burned that bridge. This wasn't the time for her to regret it. Besides, this was probably for the best. She didn't even want to imagine the breakdown that would happen if either Shoma or Hoshina ended up dead. Talk about a mess.

Misa looked at the saw and sighed. There were plenty of boards that they could be cutting at the moment. Hoshina even had a whole list written down in very neat handwriting. But that was loud and annoying, and Misa honestly didn't want to deal with sawdust getting caught in her hair. "You wanna just talk for a bit?" she asked.

"Of course. I'm always ready to listen if people need it."

"No, no, not like that. Just regular people talking."

"Oh, um, yes, that would be nice too."

* * *

 **Misa:** Sooooooo…

 **Hoshina:** You didn't have a planned conversation topic, did you?

 **Misa:** Not really. I mean, I could ask what your favorite thing to do is, but that's boring.

 **Hoshina:** Cooking.

 **Misa:** Really?

 **Hoshina:** Yes, my father cannot cook, and my mother was often… sick, so I did most of it. It's very relaxing.

 **Misa:** I don't know. I think my cooking skills are microwaves and whatever the hell the thing is in the kitchen.

 **Hoshina:** It's not very difficult to learn, and it is an important and treasured skill, especially for people struggling with issues with agency.

 **Misa:** Does that include you too?

 **Hoshina:** I'm not sure I understand.

 **Misa:** Well, you enjoy it. And then you bring up the idea of not having agency or control or whatever.

 **Hoshina:** I think you're reading a little bit too far into this.

 **Misa:** Maybe. You're very quick to shut me down, though.

 **Hoshina:** That is not evidence, simply a baseless theory.

 **Misa:** Alright, alright, I get it. You really don't like talking about personal stuff.

 **Hoshina:** That is not what you should have learned from this.

 **Misa:** I'm not wrong, though.

 **Hoshina:** …I told you before. I'm more used to listening to people than I am talking about myself.

 **Hoshina:** I imagine the same goes for you, since you haven't admitted anything meaningful about yourself yet.

 **Misa:** Oh, so you can try and psychoanalyze me, but I can't do the same for you? I see how it is.

* * *

 **Hoshina's Profile Card: Entry Two**

Hoshina's favorite thing to do is cooking, a skill that she picked up due to both her parents being unable to for varying reasons. She mentioned that it was an important skill among those who felt like they didn't have any agency, but quickly shut down any attempts to probe the matter further.

* * *

Luckily, they were spared any further awkwardness by Ryo and Shoma arriving with arms full of wrapped sandwiches. Everyone took a short break for lunch, and then it was back to work. There was actually something incredibly pleasing about creating something with your own hands, about seeing your vision become true and solid in reality. Even if Misa couldn't truly enjoy the moment without the constant, lurking reminder that her partner was captured and tortured and she was the reason why.

But at least Fujiko was ecstatic. Bouncing up and down in place as she lovingly stroke the raft ecstatic, even though the glue or whatever Satsuki had found for a sealant was still drying. Honestly, that was the only reason why Fujiko hadn't dragged the raft up to the third floor to set sail immediately; everything had to set overnight.

Everyone else headed off to dinner, but Misa begged off, saying that she wanted nothing more than a shower. If anyone remembered that it was technically the boys' turn to have access to the bathroom, they didn't say anything. They just let her be as she slowly returned to her room.

Everything was exactly as she left it. No teddy bears had moved, no furniture rearranged. Misa looked around, not quite trusting it, but truly nothing had been changed. Maybe this meant that people would finally stop fucking with her room. Probably not, but a girl could hope. She collapsed face first onto her bed and sighed. And probably, for the first time all day, she could relax. Just a little bit. The tension could release from her shoulder and lover back, and she closed her eyes. Maybe a short nap would be nice; something to pass the time in a mindless way while everyone else ate and then left so that she could have dinner in peace.

She had almost drifted off the sleep when the screaming started.

High-pitched and desperate and pained and Misa jerked out of bed, landing hard on her side on the floor.

"No, no, no, no," Misa whimpered, head whipping around in search of the source of the sound. But there was nothing. Her room was empty, even as Tetsu's screams tore through the air. The speakers. They had to be coming through the speakers, right? Misa stumbled to her feet, lurching forward towards the door.

A door that wouldn't open. No matter how hard Misa pulled and pushed on the door, even as the screams grew louder and louder until all Misa could do was sink down onto the floor with her hands pressed tight against her ears, tears streaking down her face. The screams were different this time. They sounded different. This wasn't just the initial tape played over and over again. They were still hurting him. Why wouldn't they just stop hurting him? Please. Please, just leave him alone. Leave him alone!

"Stop! Stop it!" she screamed.

It did not stop.

"I'll do it! I'll kill someone! Just leave him alone!"

It still did not stop.

If anything, it grew louder, and Misa started screaming just to try and drown out the noise. Screaming until her throat turned raw, and her screams devolved into a hacking coughing fit instead. Until somehow her door swung open, and Misa could stagger towards it, all but crawling into the hall and kicking the door close behind her. And the moment the door closed, silence. Thank you, soundproofed bedrooms. One, small bit of relief. Tiny, but it was enough for Misa to catch her breath, for her to roughly wipe the tears from her cheeks.

They didn't care.

Misa offered to kill someone for them, and they still didn't care. They just kept hurting. This was her punishment, wasn't it? Not that they would hurt Tetsu, but that they wouldn't stop. They would just keep hurting him, torturing him, stringing him along on the brink of life until –

Misa clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling a fresh cry. She was out in the open now. People could hear her. People could see her. That more than anything got her onto her feet. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. It would only cause far more problems that it solved.

She didn't realize that Kat stood in the doorway to the science room, pulled away from his current experiment by the noise. He bounced lightly on his feet as he watched her hurry away, worry and understanding and pettiness warring on his face. "Oh no," he whispered.

Misa's feet carried her to the observatory. The stars could still calm her, despite the host of negative memories that the room now held. How long had it been since she fought with Kit Kat? One day? Two? It felt so much longer than that. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window, took a deep breath, and held it.

What the fuck was she supposed to do now?

Going back to her room was obviously out of the question. Those bastards trapped her in there once. They would do it again, no doubt. And her sanity really couldn't handle that at the moment. But she was exhausted. The stress of the day was already weighing down on her, and it was barely pass dinner. She would need to return to her room at some point to sleep, right? Falling asleep anywhere else would be against the rules.

A shudder ran through Misa at the thought of breaking another one. She had no idea what would happen, but it definitely wouldn't be anything good. It wouldn't be something as easy as killing her, though, that was for sure. Why kill someone when you could just break her instead?

Break her.

Break _her_. Misa Katsu, the Ultimate Smuggler. As if. She was stronger than that psychotic teddy bear gave her credit for. She had survived worse things, and she would survive this too. She just had to play it smart, get a handle on her emotions for once. That's what Monokuma was targeting. Her emotions, her protective drive. If she didn't let him get to her, then he would be powerless.

Or, it could just provoke him into doing something worse.

Right. Thanks, brain. That was definitely the positive thinking that she needed at the moment.

But what was the worse thing that Monokuma could do? They couldn't kill Tetsu. Rule One: Never kill your hostages. You just lose whatever leverage you had, and make sure that people come after you looking for revenge. And as long as Tetsu was alive, then Misa had the chance to get the fuck out of here and rescue him. A proper rescue this time. One where everyone escapes and gets to live happily every after. Bittersweet ever after? Honestly, at this point she'd take either option.

That still didn't solve her immediate problem, however. What was she going to do for the next twelve or so hours, besides drink far too much coffee? She would be okay during the day. The day had people milling around, and she knew that Fujiko would drag her to see her raft set sail. But the night was a whole different beast. Night was dark and quiet and lonely.

She wandered across the hall to the map room and pulled one of the books off the shelves at random. The least she could do was try and keep her mind occupied. That had to be better than staring off into literal space, right? If only there was actual fiction here as opposed to boring historical stuff. Still, it wasn't like she had many other options, so she settled down in the leather chair to read.

The book was from the shelf that had been dedicated to the Ultimate Analyst. It spoke at length at how the ability was more a curse than a blessing. If you could predict everything, then life lost its joy, its wonder. You began to look for any way to break the boredom, even if it meant starting a horrific movement on a scale that had never been seen before. The book ended with advising that if another Analyst ever appeared, it would be better to kill them before they grew too comfortable with their talent. Misa growled and threw the book clear across the room.

Fuck that author. They didn't know what they were talking about.

Misa stood and went back downstairs; reading something else would probably end with her setting it on fire and that would be bad. At least it had killed time. Misa was hardly the fastest reader, and it hadn't exactly been a short novel. She swung by the kitchen for a quick dinner and a cup of coffee. After a moment's thought, she got herself a second cup as well, adding it far too much sugar and milk. If she was going to drink a lot of this shit, it might as well taste sweet.

"My, my. This is unexpected."

"Great. Exactly what I needed."

Sumire ignored Misa's snark and got herself a cup of decaffeinated tea. "I'm surprised you're awake. I'm usually the only one up and about this late."

"And I'm surprised that no one has used this to kill you yet," Misa told her. Oh, she shouldn't have put that thought into her own head. Damn it. Now she was picturing bashing Sumire's stupid brains in with a piece of plastic fruit. Realistic? No. Satisfying? Yeah, kinda.

Oh, this place was messing with her. Violence never used to be the first thought in her head.

"I can take care of myself," Sumire said.

"I'm sure."

Misa lifted her mug in a mock toast and started to leave. Sumire's voice stopped her cold. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about the chess player's tone or cadence, or even the words she used. Coming from anyone else, you could almost mistake it for genuine concern.

"Today has been very hard on you, hasn't it? This whole week, now that I think about it. Getting shot, losing your two closest allies, and now your partner, Tetsu?" She shook her head. "No wonder you're in such a… delicate place. Anyone would be. There's no shame in it. But don't worry. I'm sure Zettai will always have your back."

"Like you did with Ryuu?" Misa asked, spinning around on one heel. "Actually, you know what? It's probably good that Monokuma ground him into paste. Probably be a little pissed that you were cheating on Takara with him."

Sumire's voice suddenly went frigid. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Ooh, I hit a nerve, didn't I? I'm sorry. Did he die before you could kiss and make up? That's always such a tragedy."

"Careful. Someone will hear that and decide to smite Miyu."

Misa's heart jumped into her throat. Sumire smiled, visibly getting her confidence back. Bitch. "Well, if she does turn up dead, I'll know who to blame, and then I get to watch whatever fucked up execution Monokuma has for you. That'll be fun!"

"You're awfully confident you'd be able to catch me."

"I'm two for two so far."

"You couldn't even participate last trial."

"And yet, I still managed to figure it out first."

Sumire didn't have an immediate answer for that, like the words had gotten stuck in her throat. Misa took the opportunity to leave before their verbal sparring turned into something a little more heated and physical. Her head ached, and her nerves were jittery from far too much caffeine far too quickly. Was there a limit on how much a person could have in one day? Was that something she needed to be worried about? Probably not, right?

She retreated back upstairs, back to the observatory and her stars and the lingering smell of gunpowder that her mind conjured up. She pressed her back against the glass and sank down onto the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest. And she stayed there, unmoving, even as the Ship slowly woke up and the morning announcement played. Her eyes felt heavy. Hell, her whole body did.

It would be so easy to just let them slip close. Just for a couple of seconds. Just to stop them from burning and itching.

Coffee.

She needed more coffee.

She needed –

Misa closed her eyes, her head sinking forward so that her chin hit her chest.

* * *

They were arguing again. It was the only thing anyone ever did anymore, and Kotoko hated it. They had been doing so well too! Hoshina and her had been on the same page: make sure that everyone was friendly and kind and maybe they would be able to stop anything awful from happening. But then Shoma got his hooks into her. This was all his fault. He was probably using his talent to brainwash her or something. Why else would she just sit there and let Sumire continue to drive the group apart?

"You obviously don't know what you're talking about," Fujiko snapped, glaring at Sumire across the table. Sumire was in Misa's seat again.

"She's telling the truth," Miyu said quietly. "Misa knew everything, and she's still working with Zettai." Kat nodded mutely in agreement. The explosives engineer looked very small and very scared in his chair.

"Working _closely_ with him," Sumire added, which was honestly just very unnecessary. This whole conversation was unnecessary. Misa and Zettai weren't even at breakfast. If everyone was really going to have this fight, then shouldn't they be here to defend themselves? Discussing this behind their backs was wrong. It felt wrong. Everything about this felt wrong!

"Maybe she's being a secret agent!" Rudolph said. "She's pretending so that she can get close to the bad guy and defeat him!"

"Yeah!" Ryo said with an enthusiastic nod. "That makes sense!"

"Like a spy movie!"

Kat shook his head. "Sorry, Ringu. That's not what's happening."

"Is this why she hissed at you?" Ryo asked him.

"Misa is a very angry and defensive person," Sumire said before Kat could even open his mouth. Kotoko frowned. "Honestly, it's very concerning, especially since she's armed."

"I don't think she'll shoot us," Satsuki said softly.

"She did point a gun at Zettai's face," Hoshina said after a moment. Yes, that was true. And a particularly frightful moment. Kotoko had been almost certain that Misa would fire.

"That doesn't mean anything," Shoma told her.

"It's still threatening someone with a weapon. And if we're going to make a decision, then everyone needs all the facts," she said.

Shoma stared at her for a moment before slumping down in his seat. "Whatever," he muttered. Hoshina looked at him, brow furrowing, before the conversation stole her attention again. But Kotoko continued to stare at him. The gears were almost visibly turning inside his mind.

"Wait, did you guys know this before?" Fujiko asked, pointing at both Miyu and Kat. "Like not today?"

"Umm… maybe?" Kat said, scratching the back of his neck. "Miyu knew first!"

"And you didn't think to tell us?" A triumphant grin crossed the navigator's face. "Guess it isn't so important after all!"

"Or someone is trying to cause trouble," Shoma said without looking up.

"If you're trying to say something, just say it," Sumire told him flatly.

He shrugged. "Just commenting on the order you told people in. It's very convenient."

"You're still not being clear," Sumire said.

"I'm being perfectly clear."

"Shoma, stop it. This isn't helping," Hoshina told him.

"No, I want to hear more!" Miyu said sharply.

Kotoko very slowly, very quietly slid out of her chair and backed out of the room. Satsuki caught her eye as she left, mouthing a rather desperate plea to not abandon her. Kotoko shrugged apologetically and continued her quick retreat. This was how it always started: polite, cold words that grew into yelling and insults and things being slammed onto the table. And then soft voices and smiles, cooing that they would never yell at Kotoko, never. It never changed.

The elevator carried Kotoko to the second floor. Maybe sitting in the greenhouse would be calming enough. But that plan was ruined the moment she glanced through the observatory door as she passed. Misa sat pressed against the glass, her knees bent at ninety degrees, her hands gripping the handle of her guns so tight that it turned her knuckles white. Monokuma balanced on top of her knees, one paw pressed against the side of her face. Even from here, Kotoko could see the indentations that his claws were leaving on her skin.

"I look forward to your decision," Monokuma said with a high-pitched giggle. "But we have a visitor!" Kotoko took a small step back in fight as the bear turned his gaze on her. "Time to exit, stage right. Pursued by a bear!" He flexed his paw, finally digging his claws in enough to pierce Misa's skin, and leapt into the air and disappeared behind the couch. Although, it really wasn't any secret where he went. The vent that led to the art room was right there.

"Fuck!"

Kotoko jumped as Misa slammed her head back against the glass. Blood ran in three trails down her cheek and along her jaw, brilliant red against pallid skin.

"You're bleeding," Kotoko said softly.

"Not the first time."

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"Probably."

The smuggler stared at her for a long moment, as if she was waiting for Kotoko to do something. What, she had no idea. She simply stood in the doorway, fidgeting a little.

"Monokuma isn't supposed to hurt us," she finally said.

Misa lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I broke a rule. He can do whatever he wants."

No. No, that wasn't right. He already punished Misa for yesterday. He wasn't allowed to just keep hurting her. That wasn't fair. That wasn't in the rules! Unless… maybe she had done something else? Really, you would think that Misa would learn by now. Rules are there for a reason, and everything just goes a lot smoother if you follow them. You're less likely to start fights that way.

But Kotoko couldn't scold her, like she had before. Not when Misa looked like a soft breeze would be enough to break her.

"You should get cleaned up," she told her. Misa ran a hand through her hair and made a face.

"I ca – actually, don't suppose you'd let me go through your room?"

"If you need to?"

Misa flashed her a grin and pushed herself up onto unsteady feet. Kotoko would suggest her getting something to eat first, but that would mean sending her directly into the line of fire, and that wouldn't be very nice. Instead, Kotoko silently followed her back downstairs. They made a quick stop at Misa's room. She seemed incredibly on edge for some reason, even though there was nothing wrong with it as far as Kotoko could see. Still, Misa made her prop the door open while she literally ran to grab a change of clothes.

Misa also dragged her into the bathroom itself, which was a little awkward. There was nowhere for her to really sit or stand as Misa disappeared into one of the showers.

"I'm sorry, are you sure you don't just want me to wait in my room for you?" Kotoko asked as the water turned on.

"Nope!" Just her head popped out from behind the curtain. "Besides, I should probably have someone to talk to to make sure I don't pass out and hit my head. We already went through that bullshit once." Her head disappeared again.

Oh. Okay then.

* * *

 **Misa:** So an onomastician deals with names and stuff like that, right?

 **Kotoko:** Yes. Names, naming conventions, trends… it's amazing what they can tell you about a place or a people.

 **Misa:** Does my name tell you anything cool about me?

 **Kotoko:** It depends a lot on how it's written.

 **Misa:** Generally then.

 **Kotoko:** I'm sorry, I'm not quite sure. I think it's something like 'beautiful bloom?'

 **Misa:** Yeah, that's not right at all.

 **Kotoko:** But it says a lot about what your parents hoped for you. It's why a lot of people have names involving 'star' or 'future' or 'hope.'

 **Misa:** Right. So I'm a delicate, little flower. Sounds about right. What does your name mean?

 **Kotoko:** 'Lyre child.' I'm named for one of the constellations.

 **Misa:** Oh. So your parents were boring then.

 **Kotoko:** Not boring. They just had a very specific idea of what they wanted me to represent.

 **Kotoko** : I'm sorry. That was a little defensive of me.

 **Misa:** Nah. To be fair, I did just call your parents boring.

 **Kotoko:** I think I might also just be used to defending them.

 **Misa:** From what?

 **Kotoko:** My last name is Moto?

 **Misa:** Okay? You've lost me. I don't really get a lot of Ship gossip.

 **Kotoko:** I see. Never mind then. I'm sorry for bringing it up.

 **Misa:** If you say so.

* * *

 **Kotoko's Profile Card: Entry One**

Kotoko has extensively studied different names, trends and their meanings. Apparently, someone's name says a lot about their parents' hopes for them. Kotoko got very defensive once her own parents were brought up. They seem to be rather well known.

* * *

The water shut off, and after a few minutes, a freshly showered and dressed Misa reappeared. "Fuck, I actually feel human again," she said as she started tying her hair back into its normal braid. She looked human again too. It was actually remarkable what some color in her cheeks and a cheerful disposition could do. Her cheek had stopped bleeding as well, although the three, angry, red marks obviously remained.

It was uncanny, and only set Kotoko more on edge. "You're feeling better then?" she asked.

Misa grinned. "Never better. You think people are actually out of the kitchen by now? I'm starving." She didn't wait for an answer, leaving the bathroom through Kotoko's bedroom door. The onomastician was motionless for a few seconds. Maybe she really should go through with her plan. But that would require asking Monokuma for help, and that was intimidating for obvious reasons.

Still…

Kotoko squared her shoulders and followed Misa out of the bathroom.

* * *

 **Poll is still up on my profile to guess this chapter's victim(s)!**

 **See you tomorrow! ;)**


	26. Chapter Three Part V

**So I totally didn't cry writing this. Have fun, guys!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: Oof, straight from Req to me. That's not a good strategy. I'm not kind either! Especially not now! haha I will make you cry. I consider it an accomplishment.**

 **TheRoseShadow21: Kotoko POV! I'm glad that I captured her well! I was nervous about that haha She was interesting to write from, especially since she is different from both Misa and Sumire.**

 **Prince PokePersona: Shoma is trying his best, so at least Misa has one person in her corner. She needs someone, the poor girl. Especially when things are going on with Monokuma and Sumire!**

* * *

Fresh cup of coffee in hand, Misa followed the stream of people up to the pool. It was finally time for Fujiko to set sail, and her mood and energy levels were exactly as expected. She had cornered Misa in the kitchen to demand and ensure that she would actually be there. Which, honestly, was a little weird. Misa already promised that she would be. Sure, she had been a little antisocial lately, but she hadn't been that much of a flake. Right?

Although, now that she stood several feet away from the edge of the pool, she assumed that there was something else going on. Everyone kept looking at her. Not staring openly, but fugitive, little glances when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Some were subtler about it than others, but then again, was it even possible for Ryo to do anything subtly? Probably not.

Everyone also gave her a noticeable amount of space. Sumire, Miyu, and Kat were their own, little, stupid trio near the raft. Sumire smiled sweetly when Misa first looked over at them, but all of the color drained from Kat's face. He turned to Miyu, gesturing sharply up towards his face. Miyu shook her head, muttering something that Misa couldn't hear.

Fujiko and Satsuki were busy with the final preparations for the raft. Kotoko awkwardly hovered between groups for a few seconds before joining them. But even then, she didn't necessarily help as much as stand off to the side with her hands clasped behind her back and nod at whatever Fujiko was telling her.

Shoma, at least, looked like he wanted to be by Misa. He was just trapped between Rudolph and Ryo, both of who chattered animatedly. Shoma sunk further into himself with every word, something that Rudolph actually picked up on. He stopped talking, waiting patiently for Ryo to finish his story, and Shoma looked distinctly less flustered now that he only had to deal with one, over-energetic, childish boy. Hoshina stood discreetly nearby, her gentle smile on her face as she watched the interaction. That smile never faded, no matter how many times Misa caught her looking at her.

Fujiko clapped her hands together several times. "Okay! Everyone's here! Let's get started!"

Wait, what?

Misa frowned and counted heads. They were one short. She sighed when she realized who it was. Right. Why would she ever expect Zettai to be here? And yeah, okay, maybe this wouldn't exactly be Zettai's scene. He would probably scoff at any invitation. But did anyone even try? Or was everyone happy to just cut him off completely?

How long until they decide to just cut Misa off?

No.

No, now she was just being paranoid.

Fuck, she needed to sleep. She wasn't thinking straight. And she really needed to be able to think right now. Monokuma wasn't going to wait for her.

Misa gave herself a mental shake and dragged her attention back to Fujiko. The navigator carefully slid the raft into the water, and the room collectively held their breath. Misa pushed herself up on her tiptoes and took a few steps closer to get a better look. The raft held.

"It actually floats," Sumire said.

"Of course it floats!" Rudolph told her. "All of the best people worked on it!"

"Ouch, Ringu."

"Oops. Sorry, Kat. I didn't mean it like that!"

"Let's wait for someone to actually get in before we decide if it floats or not,"  
Miyu said with a small smile and an excited gleam in her eye. She patted Kat comfortingly on the shoulder.

"It's going to be fine," Fujiko insisted as she placed one foot on the raft. Satsuki quickly reached out to grab and steady it for her. "It's going to be fine. Everything's going to be fine."

"Keep saying it and maybe someone will believe you," Kat told her. Fujiko looked at him just long enough to stick her tongue out at him.

Still, everything still floated by the time Fujiko fully got her weight on it. She ended up in a very deep, painful looking crouch to make sure that everything stayed balance, but she was technically floating. She turned around and held a hand out to Satsuki. The astronomer quickly shook her head.

"I told you. I don't know how to swim."

"So? We're not going to get wet!"

Satsuki still hesitated, and Ryo took the opportunity to make a running leap into the raft. He only gave a brief, incoherent yell as a warning before he went sailing through the air. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the raft immediately became unbalanced and flipped the pair of them into the water, splashing both Satsuki and Kotoko. Kotoko yelped when the water hit her.

Misa tried and failed to stifle a laugh as everyone, minus Shoma and Sumire, rushed over to the pool's edge. "Are you alright?" Hoshina asked. "No one got hurt?"

"Ryo!" Fujiko yelled instead. The adventurer broke out into unapologetic giggles as he pulled himself to the wall.

"I thought I wasn't going to get wet," Satsuki said quietly. The humor in her voice was unmistakable.

"That wasn't the raft's fault!"

Everyone got set for a second attempt, one that was significantly more successful. Satsuki still refused to set foot on the raft, but Fujiko went off by herself. Misa couldn't help but smile as she carefully rowed herself out into the middle of the pool. Fujiko threw her head back with an excited whoop, drawing a cheer from the rest of the group, Misa included. She was doing it. She was actually doing it.

For the first time this week, Misa's chest actually felt light again. There was just something about watching Fujiko in the middle of the pool, paddle held over her head like some kind of staff. It was like stepping out under a sun lamp for the first time in months. Warm and joyful and joyous and _light_.

This had been a good idea. A very, very good idea.

"Take that, you stupid bear!" she yelled, pointing her paddle directly at the closet camera.

"I'm sorry, but can we please not tempt fate yet?" Kotoko asked.

"Monokuma hasn't stopped us yet," Rudolph said.

"Again. Tempting fate."

"Isn't this more rowing than sailing?" Shoma asked, his hands deep in his pockets.

"It counts," Miyu immediately snapped.

And Misa's smile vanished in an instant too. Great. Now these two were fighting? Why the hell were they fighting? Misa looked at Miyu, but the other girl refused to meet her eye. She just stared at Fujiko. Shoma, at least, mouthed 'Forget it' when Misa looked at him. As if she would.

"Um, excuse me! I have an announcement to make," Kotoko said. Fujiko put down her paddle. "I'm organizing a party for tonight. We've all been very stressed, so I wanted to do something fun. For everyone." She looked at Misa. "Monokuma agreed to give me a speaker, so there'll be music too."

"He just gave you a speaker," Misa said.

"He said that he just wanted to see our shining, smiling faces."

"That's not suspicious at all," Miyu muttered, and Kotoko deflated.

"You're right. I'm sorry. It was a stupid idea. I shouldn't have said anything."

"I actually think it's an excellent idea," Hoshina said. "A party sounds lovely." She smiled sweetly at Kotoko, who tentatively smiled back. Yeah, lovely. Until you realize all the different ways it could go terribly wrong. Everyone gathered in a designated place at a designated time, with food and drink right out in the open? That's how you wound up poisoned. Or stabbed. Or both. Why not both? Be extra sure you killed someone.

But excitement was already rippling through the group as plans were made to either decorate or make the playlist or bring up food.

"I'll play bartender. Handle the drinks," Misa said. At least if it was just her touching them, it'd be a lot harder to tamper with.

"Planning on drugging us?" Sumire asked.

Misa grinned and spoke with mock cheeriness. "A direct accusation! I'm shocked; that's not your usual style. You usually just go around gossiping about shit that never actually gets said to my face!"

"I have no issues with Misa being the person in charge of drinks," Hoshina said, quiet but firm, as if daring anyone else to contradict her. No one did, and Misa relaxed just a little. This was something, at least.

Fujiko rowed back to shore, and Ryo immediately perked back up again. "Ooh! Can I have a ride now? Please? Please?"

"Fine. Just don't jump in this time."

The group slowly broke up after that, as soon as there was confirmation from Kotoko that the party was to start at around seven. A couple of people hung around to take turns on the raft, but everyone who had agreed to help with the party preparations suddenly had a lot of work to do.

Misa included.

It was fun work, though, almost like figuring out a puzzle. She needed a way to protect cups and open bottles of soda from tampering while also making it somewhat easy to get to them if she wanted to make something. She eventually figured out a knot that pulled apart in one tug, but loudly rattled the cabinets if you pulled the wrong piece the wrong way. As long as she made sure to keep half an eye on the bar, it would do.

Honestly, the worst part was fielding Hoshina's concerns that she would be serving only alcohol to people. As if Misa would actually let people get blackout drunk or belligerent. If people wanted to drink, she wasn't going to stop them. Hell, she was probably going to have a bit herself to try and take the edge off. But she was hardly going to be stupid about it. Drunk people made an easy target. Tipsy or buzzed would probably be okay. Still, the psychologist seemed less than impressed about her careful reasoning.

"Hey, you're the one who said you trusted me here," Misa told her.

"And I still do," Hoshina said. She glanced at the bottles lining the wall behind the bar and shifted her weight from one foot to another. "I'm simply concerned."

"Don't be."

"It's not that simple."

"Sure it is!"

But then Miyu and Kat had come into the room with decorations to hang on the walls, and Misa had to give a quick excuse about checking out what the kitchen actually offered in terms of drinks, and yeah maybe she was deliberately running away but she was exhausted and her face hurt and she couldn't deal with the desire to actually say something nice and apologize and go back to the way things were fighting against the conviction that she was right and had reacted perfectly rationally and that they were in the wrong for siding with Sumire over her. She couldn't do it. Not right now. Not when Kat looked like he was one impulsive word away from opening that whole can of worms.

Misa honestly didn't mind spending the day working and planning and fidgeting with little, inconsequential things. It was something to do. And as long as she had something to do, she could avoid thinking about Monokuma, about what he had said and offered and promised.

A deal with the devil. She had made those before, right? With Zettai. With men and women with too large smiles and sweaty hands who thought they could use and manipulate her just because she was young and a girl and didn't have a powerbase behind her. This would be no different.

No.

No, she was not going to think about this without something that at least resembled sleep. This wasn't a decision to make while compromised. No matter what Monokuma implied.

Fujiko found her not long after group dinner. Misa hadn't gone, instead grabbing a small meal a little bit before. But there was absolutely no mention of that. Fujiko just bounded up to her with an excited grin.

"Do you want to get ready for the party with us?" she asked.

"Who's us?"

"Me, Satsuki, Hoshina. I also invited Kotoko, but she said that she was too busy. And I think Miyu and Sumire are doing their own thing."

"I don't – "

"Oh, come on! We got make up!" Fujiko said. "Dark red lipstick? You seem like the kind of girl who would really like dark red lipstick."

Misa hesitated for a moment longer, mostly just for show. Fujiko grabbed her hand and dragged her into the girls' bathroom on the first floor before she could actually verbally agree. Satsuki and Hoshina were already there, a surprising spread of make up on the counter. Someone must have gotten real lucky in the lottery room. Both girls smiled and waved as the pair entered.

"I've never gone to a party before," Satsuki said, tucking her hair behind an ear with a small smile. "I'm excited."

"Me either," Hoshina said, craning her neck to try and get more of her face in the mirror.

"Oh, they're tons of fun!" Fujiko said. "Have you been to any Misa?"

"I guess? Though I was usually the youngest one there and they weren't really high school parties. Been to a couple of clubs, though, which is kinda the same thing? But with paying and stuff. Concept's the same. They are fun."

"I'm excited," Satsuki repeated. "Which do we start with? Eyeliner or eye shadow?"

Five minutes later, Misa had the sinking suspicion that they only invited her in the hopes that she had some skills in the beauty department. Which honestly was really a bad hope to have considering what Misa wore and did on a daily basis. Sure, she wasn't hopeless, but Miyu was the one who wore blue lipstick every day. She would have been the person to ask.

Or maybe they just genuinely wanted her company. That was a nicer thought. A kinder one, if less believable.

Still, it was nice to pretend for a little bit as Misa gave out tips that she was only half sure of and Satsuki smiled at Fujiko's many jokes and Hoshina finally got annoyed enough by her lack of height to climb up onto the counter for a better view.

Out of everyone, Hoshina probably ended up looking the best. She stayed well within the realm of pinks and light browns, which left her soft and sweet, a princess recently stepped from a storybook. Misa really hoped that she was there for the first time Shoma saw her. Preferably with a camera.

Not that the other girls looked bad. They didn't, although Fujiko certainly went for the bold and dramatic. The heavy, dark blues suited her, though, and were far better than the bright orange that she had originally picked. Satsuki, unsurprisingly, went for a quieter look with just a little bit of light brown eye shadow. She had wiped off her lipstick seconds after she put it on.

Misa ended up somewhere in between. As much as the black eye shadow called her, she settled for the light grey instead. And, of course, she got her promised dark red lipstick. She also pulled her hair of its braid, letting it fall loose and wavy and wild around her shoulders.

She shrugged off her jacket, draping it over one forearm, and stared critically in the mirror. "What do you guys think? Jacket on or off?"

"Misa, your arm," Hoshina said, reaching out to touch it. Misa frowned and looked down. On her upper arm were three bruised almost perfectly shaped to look like fingers.

"Oh. Those must be from when Zettai grabbed me. Dude is surprisingly strong."

It was amazing how one name could bring down the mood of a room. It was really annoying, actually. Annoying enough to plant an idea in Misa's head.

"What time is it?" Fujiko asked, suddenly and loudly and definitely not trying to change the subject. "We got to go! We're late!"

"No one actually shows up to a party on time," Misa said.

"But then Kotoko is all by herself! That's not very nice!"

"It's okay. We can go," Satsuki told her. Hoshina quickly tried to rearrange everything so that it vaguely looked clean and orderly, but didn't get too far before Fujiko lifted her back off the counter.

"Please don't pick me up without saying so first," she said, readjusting her caplet.

Fujiko looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry."

"I'll be right behind you guys. I just want to check on something first," Misa said, and waved off their protests. She waited until she was certain that the trio were out of sight before she turned around and hurried down the hall to a very specific door. She looked up at the black number one and took a deep breath. This was a good idea. An excellent idea even. No reason to be nervous.

She knocked on the door.

No answer.

She knocked again.

Still no answer.

Finally, the door opened a foot. Zettai stood on the other side, resting his body against the doorframe. A very pretty bruise had bloomed along the right side of his jaw. Just the sight of him was enough to send Monokuma's offering reeling through her mind, but she forced a sheepish grin. Zettai did not look amused.

"Oh, I got you good, didn't I?" Misa asked, reaching out a hand to lightly brush against it. He lifted his head out of the way before she could actually touch him.

"What do you want, Misa?" he asked, sounding as tired as she felt. "Are you going to shove a gun in my face again? That was so much fun last time."

"That was not my smartest moment," she said.

"You don't say?"

"It's not like I was actually going to shoot you. You just… you weren't listening to me." Zettai's eyes dropped down to the guns still at her hips. Misa shifted her weight form one foot to another. "Eyes are up here, you know."

"What do you want?" he asked again.

"There's a party. You're coming."

"I'm fairly certain I wasn't invited."

"It's for everyone. Kotoko said so herself." Zettai still looked unconvinced. "Besides… you're my date."

"I'm your what now?"

"My date. See, your tie matches my shirt. Pretty sure that's a date thing. Maybe."

"That only applies to dresses," he said.

"Yeah, well, fuck dresses," Misa said. "You're still my date. Which means that you have to come with me. Oh! And tell me that I look beautiful at least once tonight."

"That isn't going to happen," Zettai told her, but she thought she saw something close to amusement sparking in his eyes. She was winning him over.

"I'll also settle for just calling me very pretty."

He looked at her for a long moment and sighed. "You're not just going to go away, are you?"

Misa grinned. "You know me so well."

"People aren't going to react well."

"People can shove it."

That startled him, although he only let it show on his face for a moment. Misa looked at him expectantly and held out her hand. Zettai didn't take it, but he did gesture with his head for her to take and step back and joined her in the hall. Misa's grin widened as she led him to the elevator.

"I assume you have a plan here," he said as they waited for it to arrive. Misa looked at him. "For when Miyu tries to strangle me with my tie?"

"Nope. Honestly, I was half expecting you to just slam the door in my face," she said. "Wouldn't have blamed you."

"I still need you," he said after a pause just long enough to be a hesitation. "Can't burn the only bridge I have left."

"Right."

It would be so easy to tease him over whose fault was that, but Misa really couldn't talk. The elevator finally arrived, thankfully very empty. Misa leaned heavily against the railing as it carried them up to the third floor. Zettai frowned, sharp and quick, before his features smoothed over again.

Pop music spilled into the elevator the moment it arrived on the third floor. Monokuma had actually come through with the speaker. Zettai sighed and held out his arm. "Into the breach," he said. Misa's grin softened as she linked arms with him. She took a deep breath, and threw back her head like she didn't have a single care in the world, like her heart wasn't hammering in her chest.

Miyu and Kat had done a lovely job decorating. Sure, it was mostly just colored streamers and balloons, but it worked. It made the space feel smaller and more intimate, which was great considering how few people they had to fill it. Someone had brought up two folding tables and pushed them against one wall. Snacks and desserts covered both of them. The speakers were against one corner, and there was space in the middle for dancing. Not that anyone was at the moment. The party was still in its awkward beginning stages where no one was quite sure what to do with themselves.

They were the last to arrive, but at least that meant they could make an entrance. Misa tightened her grip on Zettai's arm as people began to notice. Zettai, on his part, looked completely unconcerned about the sudden tension in the room. Aware, yes, but it was seemingly beneath his care or worry. Even if he did do a small double take when he saw Hoshina.

"Sorry I'm late!" Misa said, because she had to say something. "Was anyone waiting on me for a drink?"

"I do? Am? I want a drink please," Ryo said, raising his hand. Oh, thank God. She, still linked with Zettai, walked steadily towards the bar. Not hurrying, because that just showed you were scared, but with purpose. She glanced at Miyu as they passed. She looked gorgeous, like that was ever in doubt, but was almost trembling with rage. The only that stopped her from stalking over was Kat's hand tight around her wrist.

Someone turned up the music, and while it didn't reduce the tension in the room, it did hide it. Sometimes, that was all you could ask for. "That wasn't so bad," Zettai muttered when they finally reached the bar and she dropped his arm.

"Don't worry. The night is still young. You can still get strangled. You think that tie will support your weight if we hang you from the ceiling?"

"I'm glad that you can joke about my death. It's very comforting."

Misa placed her jacket behind the bar, and after a moment's thought, stashed her guns in one of its many hidden pockets. Her hips felt far too light and empty, but that was okay. This was a party. She didn't need to be armed for a party. She turned back to the bar and clapped her hands together once. Ryo looked at her expectantly.

"Right, what do you want?"

"Something yummy?"

Zettai rolled his eyes. Misa shot him a warning look. "You want booze in it or nah?"

Ryo's eyes widened. "Is that an option?" Misa gestured to the excellent collection of bottles behind her. "But I've never drank before. I'm not supposed to."

"You don't have to. Option's there if you want it," she told him. Still, even as she watched him fidget and think it over, she had a feeling what he would pick.

"Maybe a little?"

Misa winked and ducked down behind the bar to grab what she needed. Ryo received a very weak rum and coke. He still made a face when he drank it, but that didn't stop him from taking a second sip.

"And for the pretty, brooding gentleman?" she asked, turning to Zettai.

"Do you have to call me 'pretty'?"

"At least one of us is getting a compliment tonight." Oh, that was a bit snippy. Whoops. She hadn't even started drinking yet.

He inclined his head at the drinks. "I'll trust your judgment. And I immediately regret saying that."

Misa laughed softly and got to work. It was at least thirty minutes before she had a chance to make a drink for herself. Ryo drank his rum and coke far too quickly, and came back for a second one. Rudolph wanted something very sweet and fruity. Satsuki just wanted a soda, which was fine. Fujiko insisted that her drink was strong. (Misa only put about half as much in as she wanted.) Hoshina was very insistent that there was zero alcohol anywhere near her drink. Shoma looked like he wanted to disagree, but ultimately got the same thing as his girl. Kotoko tried Rudolph's drink and immediately asked for the same thing.

She was just about to finally start on her own drink when Miyu finally came over. Zettai decided that that was the best moment for him to check out the spread of food. Miyu glared at him as he passed.

"What can I get you?" Misa asked, polite as can be.

"Whatever you gave Rudolph." She paused, looking down at her hands pressed against the surface of the bar. "It was yummy."

"Stronger, weaker, the same…?"

"Fuck it. Stronger."

They lapsed into an uneasy, uncomfortable silence.

"You look – "

"Did you have to bring him?"

Misa shut her mouth with an audible _click_. "Kotoko said that this party was for everyone."

" _He_ isn't everyone," Miyu hissed. "I don't even know what you're thinking anymore!"

"Don't shout," Misa said with far more calm than she felt. "And I think it's pretty clear that you've never known what I'm thinking." She finished Miyu's drink and slid it over to her with enough force that some of it spilled over the sides.

"Kat also wants a soda."

Misa handed her a sealed bottle. "Don't poison him, okay?"

"I would never do that."

"I know. Feel free to poison Sumire though. Might kiss you if you did that."

"All the more reason not to."

Yeah, that one hurt. And it must have shown on her face because something akin to regret flashed in Miyu's eyes. She took both drinks and quickly retreated back to her perfect, stupid group. But that's what Misa got for flirting. She hadn't even meant to. It was just easy, natural. It fucking sucked.

Zettai returned the moment the place was clear. "Coward," she told him.

"Self-preservation," he said. "There's a difference." He tilted his head to the side as Misa finally got the chance to make her own beverage: an energy drink mixed with what she was pretty sure was cinnamon whiskey. "I'm fairly certain you're not supposed to mix those."

"Desperate times."

At some point, Fujiko cleared off one of the folding tables of food and dragged it closer to the center of the room. She requisitioned a stack of empty, plastic cups from Misa, filled them with water, and laid out two triangle shapes on either end of table. Misa knew exactly what she was doing.

"Are we really playing beer pong?" she asked, shouting to be heard over the music.

"Why not!"

Fair.

She didn't join in, content to just sit on the edge of the bar and swing her legs and laugh as Fujiko tried to coach Rudolph in the proper way to lightly toss a Ping-Pong ball while still holding his drink in the other hand. She may have booed when Sumire and Miyu teamed up to utterly destroy Kat and an awkward Kotoko, but she was pretty sure that no one but Zettai heard her. There appeared to be some kind of tournament, although Misa honestly couldn't tell the order or who was in the lead or anything actually important. It almost seemed like they were just switching in and out depending on who was tired of dancing at any particular moment.

Speaking of…

"Come dance with me," she told Zettai, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.

Zettai raised his eyebrows. "Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"You're not my type."

As if you couldn't dance with people you weren't attracted to. And fuck that. Misa was very attractive, if she did say so herself.

"Bet I know what your type is then. Guys like you only have two types." She continued without giving him a chance to say anything, "Either you want an equal, someone who will challenge you and give you shit," she pointed to herself, earning a smirk, "or you want someone sweet and submissive that you can protect and care for. Like Kotoko or…"

Misa trailed off as Zettai oh so casually took a sip from his drink. He didn't blush or say anything. Such reactions were beneath him. But he really didn't have to. All of the stares, the looks, the smile. It made sense. Misa looked to Shoma and Hoshina, standing off to the side, his head bent close to hers as he tried to listen to whatever she was saying. "Oh, dude," she said quietly.

"I am well aware," he muttered into his cup. "Trust me."

She believed him.

Annnnnnnnd Rudolph was about to drink from a cup he had put down and left for a while. Misa hopped off the bar and hurried towards him before he accidentally did something stupid. You never drink from something you've taken your eyes off of. That was Rule One. Oh, fuck. She had to make a new drink for herself then too.

But that got Misa up and moving, which got her dancing. Even if her arms felt like lead if she tried to lift them too high, or she couldn't keep pace with some of the faster songs, she was dancing. With friends, or at least people who didn't actively hate her. (For the most part, ignoring the obvious suspects.) And there was an undeniable pleasure in that. A freedom. It was hard to be angry or hateful when you couldn't really hear yourself think, when your heart synced up to the beat reverberating through your chest.

Luckily, there were still enough people dancing that she could safely turn her back on Sumire and Miyu and ignore them. Kat kept drifting in and out of her field of vision, like he wanted to come closer but always talked himself out of it. The only people being lame and sitting out were Zettai, who was being lame, and Shoma and Hoshina. Misa frowned. Had either of them danced at all tonight? Hoshina looked like she wanted to. She kept glancing wistfully at the morphing circle of dancers. So why didn't she just come and join them? Did she not want to abandon Shoma? Well, there was an easy solution to that.

Misa went to the speakers, and sending a brief, mental apology to Zettai, cued up a song to play next. She caught Shoma's eye and gestured him over to her. He looked confused, but obeyed. This close to the speakers, she had to put her mouth right next to his ear.

"You need to dance with Hoshina next song."

Pure panic entered Shoma's face. "No way!"

"Why the fuck not? Your girlfriend wants to dance. Dance with her."

"She's not – ow!"

Misa had slapped him hard upside the head. "Don't even finish that sentence."

"But… but it's public."

"Shoma. Do not make me take drastic measures."

He actually looked a little nervous about that, which was a lovely ego boost. It had been awhile since someone was scared of her and not pissed. She winked and patted him on the shoulder.

The song ended a few seconds later, and soft piano filled the room. Misa gave him a not so gentle push to get moving. Rudolph, Ryo, Fujiko, and Satsuki all threw their arms over each other's shoulders and started swaying to the music. It was cute, but Misa was far more focused on Shoma. She was way too far away to hear him, but she could see Hoshina's face absolutely light up as he held out a hand to her and led her to the dance floor.

Neither of them really knew how to dance. That much was obvious. Their movements were hesitant and unsure and nowhere near matching the rhythm of the song. But it didn't matter. They were happy. Radiant. Like they had managed to find their own, small bubble of peace, despite Shoma's initial fears. His smile actually matched Hoshina's.

And it made Misa want to cry. Which really had to be the exhaustion talking because Misa didn't cry over stupid shit like this. But she wanted that. Fuck, she wanted that so badly her chest physically ached. And she could have – _should have_ – had that if only she hadn't been so fucking stupid and –

And she looked across the room to see Miyu already staring at her, an identical expression on her face.

"Fuck it," Misa said, and she held out her hand to her. An invitation. An unspoken apology. A promise, if you really wanted to look that far into it.

And Miyu shook her head.

Slowly. Deliberately. Clearly.

No.

Misa froze.

Right.

Why would she have expected anything different? This wasn't her fairytale. People like her didn't get them. She didn't get to try and make things better with a silly dance. How could she have forgotten?

But before she could remember to drop her hand, a small, calloused one grabbed it instead. Misa had to blink a few times before she realized that Kat had accepted her offer instead. He didn't try to pull her further out into the dancing floor, but he did place his other hand at her waist and began swaying side to side. Misa followed his movements without really realizing it.

"Sorry, but it was me or Bathroom Buddy," he said.

"You're fine," she told him.

Kat looked down at his feet. "Are you fine?" he asked.

"Do you care?"

His head jerked back up again. "Yes! Solo, we got into a stupid argument and you were a massive bitch. That doesn't mean I stop suddenly being your friend."

Now it was Misa's turn to look away. It very much felt like he had stopped being her friend. And it was her fault, yeah, but still. "I've been stupid a lot lately."

"Yeah, no shit." His face softened. "I get it, you know. What Monokuma is doing to you. Kinda been there."

"I'm handling it."

"Are you?"

"Yes," Misa said, a tad sharper than she intended. They had stopped dancing by now, though Kat hadn't let go off her hand or removed his other one from her waist.

"Right, sorry for being worried," he said sarcastically. "Not like you're dead on your feet or anything."

"I'm fine."

"Why do I even try?" he asked, just loud enough to be heard over the music. Misa wasn't even entirely sure if he meant for her to hear.

"Because you're actually a decent person," she told him. His hand tightened around hers. "Listen, Kat," she swallowed thickly. "About what I said. About you." The rest of the words got stuck in her throat so she just gestured with her head instead.

"What about them, Solo?"

"You know."

"No, I don't actually."

"Are you actually going to make me say it," Misa asked, voice treading dangerously close to a whine.

"Absolutely," Kat said without any hesitation. Still, he waited with patient, hopeful eyes as Misa looked anywhere but him. That was the only reason why she saw Zettai sneaking out of the party.

"Where the hell is he going?" Misa asked. Kat turned to follow her line of sight. "I'll be right back." But when she tried to move, Kat's hand had tightened into a vice.

"Stay," he insisted.

"I'll literally be right back." She tried to pull away again, but he wouldn't budge.

"Why is it always him? Misa, stay" he repeated, and there was something in his tone that made her pause.

"I'm sorry, Kit Kat," she told him. His hand suddenly went limp around hers and she easily pulled free. He didn't say a word as she left.

"Zettai. Zettai, hey!" Misa called out as she jogged up to him. Zettai pushed the elevator button for what must have been at least the third time, as if that would make it arrive quicker. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my room," he said, and Misa bristled a little at his tone.

"So you're just going to ditch me?"

"You'll be fine."

He still hadn't actually looked at her, which was honestly very rude. Generally speaking, you were supposed to look at people when they were talking to you. Misa slipped in between him and the elevator doors, getting real close into his personal space. Zettai took a small step back.

"You're ditching me," Misa repeated.

"You don't need me here."

"Yeah, well, maybe I want you here. Ever think of that in that big, pretty brain of yours?"

"Don't choose me over the others, Misa," he said after a moment. Misa opened her mouth to respond but no words came out. She knew exactly what she wanted to say. It was all the same things she told Kat. She wasn't choosing anyone. She was allowed to talk to anyone she wanted, right? Isn't that why Zettai picked her? Because she could float among the different groups? But the look on his face killed her words in her throat. "You're a more effective rook if more people like you."

"That's not – "

The elevator doors slid open soundlessly behind her. Zettai smirked and patted her head in a way that definitely wasn't patronizing at all. Misa slapped his hand away. Whatever expression had been on his face was gone.

"Don't worry. We're still following the plan. That's what matters right now," he told her.

She blinked in confusion. The plan? What plan? She was not informed of any kind of plan! Unless she had been and just forgot. It was kinda hard to remember things at the moment. Zettai got into the elevator, his gaze flicking briefly towards the door to the party.

"Oh," he said, his voice noticeably louder than it had been before. "You do look beautiful tonight."

Misa placed a hand over her heart, surprised but more than a little pleased at the compliment. The tactician shrugged as the elevator closed. That was actually rather sweet of him. Maybe they were making some kind of progress.

The party continued on for another hour or so. Eventually, though, the time of night crept up on everyone. People filtered out of the room in pairs and small groups, always leaving to a chorus of waves and goodbyes. Kat had studiously avoided Misa for the rest of the night, which was just fantastic. Great to know that she blew that chance at reconciliation. She pretended that she didn't care that Miyu and Sumire left together, even if Miyu kept looking over her shoulder, but she doubted she really fooled anyone. She was simply too drained to put up a very successful façade.

She sat at the bar, head propped up by one hand as Kotoko turned off the music. Her other thumb ran across her bottom lip, smearing what lipstick remained. Hoshina and Shoma stood awkwardly by the door. After a few moments, Hoshina cleared her throat.

"I think that was very successful," she said.

Shoma nodded. "Yeah, no one died."

"That wasn't exactly what I was talking about but, yes, that is another good thing."

"He has a point," Misa said. The party was over and no one was dead. It felt like a small miracle. Kotoko still stood at the speakers. From Misa's position at the bar, she could clearly see the conflict warring on her face.

"I just hope it helped," she said softly, and after a slight hesitation added, "Thanks for helping. Both of you."

Hoshina's smile grew. "Of course. I'm always happy to help, especially my friends." She looked pointedly at Shoma. He just stared back. "And I'm sure Shoma feels the same." He leaned over to whisper something in her ear. A pleased blush flooded her face, even as she turned to scold him.

Ugh. Knife, meet heart.

Tomorrow. Maybe she could corner Miyu and try to talk to her tomorrow. Actually talk this time. And maybe actually apologize, even if at this point they were both being stupid.

"I guess the only thing left is to clean up," Kotoko said, blatantly ignoring any and all public displays of affection. "But you all don't need to worry about that. Thanks for coming!"

"You're not going to clean all by yourself, are you?" Hoshina asked. Misa looked around. As far as party aftermaths went, this wasn't the worst she had ever seen. But there were still twelve teenagers who had been drinking and playing and dancing and just generally having fun. If nothing else, it still left a mountain of cups to empty and dispose of.

"I, um, I'm sorry? I just didn't want to force anyone else to do it."

"You're not forcing us, Kotoko. We'd be glad to help," Hoshina told her.

"Speak for yourself," Shoma muttered.

"I'd be," Hoshina took a moment to yawn, "glad to help, then."

Misa drummed her hands against the bar to get everyone attention. "You're all exhausted. I can handle clean up."

Shoma rolled his eyes. "Right. Like you can actually keep your eyes open."

Misa shrugged. "I just downed an energy drink by accident. I'll be wired for the next couple of hours anyway." Hopefully. Please. Please. She just needed to stay awake for a little bit longer.

Shoma looked unconvinced, but Hoshina yawned again, which also caused Kotoko to yawn. Kotoko nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Misa."

"Sure thing. Least I can do."

She walked them over to the elevator. It arrived silently. Shoma touched her arm before getting on. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked quietly.

Misa nodded and forced a grin. "Yeah. I'll see you in the morning."

He looked at her carefully for a long moment before nodding, something akin to a smile briefly crossing his face. Misa waved as he stepped into the elevator with the other two girls and the doors closed behind them. The grin instantly slid off her face.

Alright, first things first. Loud music. Hopefully that would help keep her awake. She made a beeline to the speakers and switched it on, cranking the volume up until the music drowned out her thoughts. Sure, it hurt her ears, but there was something comforting in feeling the beat reverberate in her chest. It grounded her, like the feeling of the engines vibrating through her feet.

Actually, that was kinda weird now that she thought about it. You could only really feel the engines on the lower decks. You were closer to them, the floors were usually made of really thin materials… regardless, the vibrations traveled well done there. Up on the upper decks, that feeling tended to disappear. Now, the walls here were completely smooth. They belonged on the upper decks. The weird food machines definitely belonged on the upper decks. But Misa had consistently felt the engines the entire time they had been here. So where the fuck were they?

She frowned as she began stacking cups. Did it even matter where they were? It's not like it really made any difference to their lives. But whoever was controlling this was definitely trying really hard to make them thing that their prison was large, sprawling and fancy. Why else have that elevator to the trial room that actually goes nowhere? It was weird.

Misa's head suddenly snapped around. She could have sworn that she had heard something. Like a door slamming or something. Keeping on eye on the door, she slowly walked over to her jacket and pulled out one of her guns.

"Hello?" she called out. No, that probably wouldn't work. She could barely hear her voice over the music. There was no way someone else could hear her. She walked over to the doorway. The door to the gym was cracked open. Had it always been like that? "Hello? I'm still here! And, you know, armed in case you wanted to do anything stupid!"

Nothing.

Misa bit her bottom lip. She must just be going crazy. She turned around to head back to the bar when the noise happened again. It definitely happened again. This time, there was no mistaking it. A door slammed behind her. Misa whirled around, gun raised and ready. The door to the gym was now closed.

The elevator was right there. She could just go back downstairs and leave this alone. She could go and find someone and bring back up to investigate. She should go do that. She really, really should.

"Fuck," she muttered.

Misa kicked the door open, grinning a little when it banged hard against the opposite wall. Okay, no one hiding on that side. She sidestepped to the other side, pressing her body against the wall. From that angle, she could see inside the gym to make sure that no one was hiding on the other side of the door. But that was empty too. And a quick sweep of the gym also showed nothing. Empty. Misa's eyes darted to the sauna, but she shook her head. No, the sound of the door wouldn't match. Besides, no one smart would willingly trap themselves in such a small room like that.

That left the pool.

The door was closed, so Misa repeated her procedure. Make sure that no one is hiding behind the door, waiting to ambush you, and then sweep the room. Check the corners. Stay close to walls for cover if you can. Simple. Methodical. Practiced. It was almost nice to be doing it again. She had missed this, missed the easiness with which she could move once she had an actual mission. And the adrenaline. That beautiful adrenaline coursing through her blood, banishing her exhaustion if only for a few minutes.

It was almost a shame that the pool was completely empty.

Misa frowned, her feet carrying her further inside. She could still hear the music perfectly from here, although she could no longer feel it in her chest. Maybe she really had imagined it. She could have confused a beat or a drum for a door. Or hell, maybe she just hallucinated the whole thing. That was a thing that happened with sleep deprivation, right? Maybe? Really, it was amazing that she was still even vaguely functional.

Her wanderings had brought her over to the deep end of the pool. The water looked completely serene. Not a single ripple disturbed its surface. She wished she knew how to swim. The idea of just floating away suddenly felt incredibly appealing. Just calmly drift off into space among the stars. It was the same thing, right? Water? Space? Definitely the same concept. Yeah, okay. She was definitely starting to lose it.

Misa didn't realize that someone had snuck up behind her until the weight slammed into the side of her head. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

She didn't stay unconscious for long, though. She groggily blinked herself awake, not moving before taking a mental stock of herself. Her head screamed at her. That was to be expected. She was also standing, propped up against some kind of wooden board. She could feel the texture with her fingers. Fingers that she couldn't really move due to her hands being tied behind her back.

Fuck.

Bad sign. Really, _really_ bad sign.

Her vision was still blurry, probably a sign of a concussion, but she tried to focus on her surroundings. Was she in the dinning room? Maybe? Why was she here? And standing on a chair?

"Finally," a familiar voice said.

"What's going on?" Misa asked, fighting to keep her voice steady. 'Finally' was not something you said to someone when you were about to rescue them. A figure stepped out from behind her. They pointed towards the ceiling.

Misa followed their finger up, eyes finally focusing on a rope that was tied to one of the chandeliers. The same rope that was tied in a noose around Misa's neck.

"You needed to be awake for this part."

"No, wai – "

The figure ripped the chair out from underneath her.

* * *

 **So, uh, there's a poll up on my profile. Check it out.**

 **Until next time.**


	27. Chapter Three Part VI

**Hey, everyone! Yeah, so, last chapter did actually happen. That wasn't just all a bad dream. Trust me, I'm just as heartbroken as you are. But new things and new beginnings. I hope you're ready to meet our new** **protag! May she have a longer life than Misa.**

 **Also! oddlyillregular made awesome art that is now my new cover art! It's so much better than what I had, and I'm very excited about it!**

 **tobi-is-an-artist-too: I hurt you because I must.**

 **Prince PokePersona: No one is immune, especially not my OCs. My poor baby girl. *cries* And yeah, no double murder this chapter. Misa takes up so much focus and emotional energy, that it wouldn't be fair to the second victim. They would feel like an afterthought, and I wanted to avoid that this chapter.**

 **alucard deathsinger: Misa died. That is a thing. And you should know better. There can be no happiness in Danganronpa. Only pain and suffering and tears.**

* * *

"Ahem! Rise and shine, everyone! Get ready to have another bear-tacular day! Puhuhuhu!"

The morning announcement came as it always did, even if it sounded different. And it wasn't just the pleased laugh that Monokuma added on to the end. There was something in his voice, something eager. He wanted this _bear-tacular_ day to get started more than most others. It was enough to make any day start on simply an awful note.

Like it wasn't going to already.

That stupid, fucking party.

Ugh, it wasn't even the party. It was her. Stupid Misa and her stupid, pretty hair and her stupid, pretty eyes and her stupid offer to dance and her bringing _Zettai_ of all people with her, arriving on his arm like some kind of trophy meant only to mock the people who actually cared about her.

She should have danced with her.

Why didn't she just dance with her?

Miyu grabbed a pillow and pressed it over her face, letting out a scream of frustration. Okay, that felt better. A little. Not really. She was sure that her mood was going to tank again come breakfast. Still, she couldn't just skip the daily meal, no matter how much she just wanted to curl up in bed and sulk. What if Zettai and Misa showed up and she didn't? It would look like she was giving up or losing or something like that. It was petty, yeah, but true. Miyu was in the right here. She wasn't just going to give up ground like that.

She rolled out of bed, taking a moment to run her fingers through her tangled, peach locks. Honestly, Miyu had lucked out when it came to room colors. Everything was a calming, dark blue, and while it did make her room feel small, at least it didn't keep her awake at night. And it perfectly matched her lipstick, which was always a fun touch. Satisfied that she looked vaguely presentable, Miyu left her room and headed out into the hall.

Immediately, someone screamed.

High pitched and frantic and unending.

It was just going to be that kind of day.

Miyu took off like a shot, running down the hall to the sounds, a mantra beating in her head. _Not again, not again, not again. Who is it this time?_ She didn't pass anyone on her way, which really didn't make her feel better. She liked being able to check people off her mental list, liked being able to find the people she cared about and know that they were safe.

Ryo stood with his back against Zettai's doorway, still screaming as he stared horrified at something inside of the dining room. Zettai roughly pushed his door open, missing his jacket and with his tie only halfway done around his neck, and sent the adventurer sprawling onto his hands and knees. That finally got Ryo to quiet down.

"What is it now?" Zettai snapped, lifting his head to follow Ryo's line of sight. Emotions flitted across his face, far too fast to recognize, before settling into dumbfounded shock. The floor had suddenly been ripped out from under him, and he didn't even have the capacity to hide it.

Miyu finally reached them and turned her head to look into the dining room. Her knees buckled underneath her and she fell, her back hitting the wall hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs. Next to her, Zettai began to laugh high in his throat.

The table and all of the chairs had been pushed back so that they wouldn't get in the way. The body hung motionlessly in the middle of the dining room, the rope around their neck tied off to one of the chandeliers on the ceiling. Even from out in the hall, the sheer, desperate terror on their face was unmistakable. Their hands had been bound behind their back. They didn't do this to themselves. They couldn't have.

 _ **Ding dong, Bing bong**_

"A body has been discovered! Please report to the dining room. Immediately!" Monokuma paused. "Oh, this will be a fun one."

But even with that announcement, Miyu refused to believe what she was seeing. She couldn't believe it. It just wasn't possible.

 _Misa Katsu, the Ultimate Smuggler, was dead._

Zettai disappeared back into his room, the door slamming loud in Miyu's ear. Get up. She had to get up. She just had to get her feet steady under her, even as her chest felt far too small and she couldn't take a proper breath. For a moment, all Miyu could see was an image of Misa from last night, standing across the room with her hand outstretched, hopeful and smiling like something out of a fucking movie. And now she was… she was…

Ryo crawled over to her before rocking back to sit on his haunches. The pair looked at each other for a long moment before either of them spoke.

"Wh – what are we going to do?"

"A trial. Same as always."

"Without Misa?"

Miyu tore her gaze away, forcing herself to look at Misa's body. "Without Misa."

They helped each other up just as people started to filter towards the dining room entrance, feet heavy with fear and dread and the realization that this would not be the only body they saw today. Shoma was first, stepping out of his room with an expression equal part nervous and determined. He took one look at both their faces and sighed like his job had just gotten significantly more complicated.

"So, it's Kit Kat? Misa's going to be pissed," he said, rounding the corner to check on the state of the body.

"Wait, Shoma!"

Ryo's warning came just a little too late. Shoma turned, completely unprepared to see who the victim actually was. All color drained from his face. "That…" Any other words failed him as he slowly shook his head. Ryo reached out to pat him on the arm, a comforting gesture, but he jerked away before the other boy could touch him. "No!"

The analyst turned on his heel and bolted, or rather, tried to. He crashed faced first into Fujiko, sending her crashing to the ground. Shoma almost followed her, but caught himself at the last minute and continued running.

"What the fuck?" Fujiko asked as Satsuki quietly helped her up. The astronomer caught Miyu's eye and asked a silent question.

 _Hoshina?_

Miyu shook her head. "Misa," she said, her voice sounded flat and far away.

"Oh fuck," Fujiko said, far quieter than she had been just seconds ago. Satsuki took a trembling breath, but nodded.

Misa. Misa was…

She finally entered the dining room properly, followed by Ryo, Fujiko, and Satsuki. Misa's bloodshot, pleading eyes seemed to follow her wherever she went. The very idea sent a wave of nausea through her. Rudolph and Kat were the next to appear. The former immediately dissolved into tears only to be the recipient of a running hug from Ryo.

Tears. It felt like Miyu should be doing that. But when she reached out to find that emotion, that reflex, there was nothing there. Just coldness in her chest and lungs.

Kat looked unsteady before he even saw who it was. He moved off to the side so that he could lean against the doorway, one hand coming up to lightly touch his throat. His very presence was soft and muted, like some kind of inner flame had been snuffed out. But his eyes were wracked with pain and inner torment. Miyu took a small step towards him, but he quickly shook his head, stopping her in her tracks.

Sumire was surprisingly calm, taking in the scene with nothing more than a muttered "It actually happened." She silently stood next to Miyu and Miyu was… grateful for it. The other girl was an oasis of calm and steady in a room that only grew more claustrophobic and catastrophically tense with each passing moment. Even if she stared at Misa with a gleam in her eye akin to victory that made Miyu incredibly uncomfortable in a way that she couldn't quite say.

Hoshina and Kotoko were the last to arrive. Kotoko let out a small cry, hand coming up to cover her mouth, and quickly looked away from the body. Hoshina just stared, mouth open. But then Rudolph gave a particularly loud sob and the smile slipped back over the psychologist's face in the space between one heartbeat and the next as she hurried over to do her best to help. Even as she comforted Rudolph the best she could, her eye still roved over the room looking for Shoma. She became noticeably tense when she realized that he was missing. Satsuki motioned for Kotoko to join her and Fujiko, and she did so gratefully.

"Missing Zettai and Shoma still," Sumire said. "Should we go looking for another body?"

"There's always two for the third case," Kotoko said hesitantly, which did nothing to set Hoshina at ease.

As if on cue, Zettai's bedroom door opened and the man himself came out. He was far more put together now than he had been a handful of minutes ago. There was hardly a hair out of place as he ignored everyone else in the room and casually walked right up to Misa's body.

"You stupid bitch," he muttered, looking up at her.

Miyu whirled around on him in a flash of anger that would have made Misa proud. " _Excuse me?_ " Zettai dismissed her with barely a glance, the arrogant dick. "Would you like to say that again?"

A yell from down the hall stopped him from answering. "Let me GO!"

"Oh, stop struggling, will ya?"

Monokuma appeared in the doorway, dragging Shoma behind him with one paw wrapped around his wrist and the other tangled in his hair. Shoma kicked his legs uselessly, trying valiantly to find any way to slip free. Hoshina watched him, trembling, but made no move to intervene. Miyu had no doubt that she would be at his side the moment that Monokuma left, though.

The bear finally tossed Shoma into the center of the circle that everyone else had made and jumped onto his upper back. The analyst hunched further into himself, staring resolutely at the floor.

"You know," Monokuma said conversationally, "when I said to report to the dining room immediately, that didn't mean you could just turn around and run away." He reached down and jerked Shoma's head up, forcing him to look at Misa. Shoma whimpered quietly. "We got another murder on our hands! Ah, sweet Misa. I had such high hopes for you. To see those hopes cut down, doesn't it just fill you with despair?"

"Monokuma, stop this," Hoshina said firmly.

"Hmm… nah."

"Let him go," Miyu said. Monokuma turned to look at her. He grinned.

"Aw, are you stepping up to take your girlfriend's place? How cute. Oh, I'm sorry. You two never actually did anything, did you? And so many people were hoping that the Gal Pals would get back together. Guess you screwed up that one, huh, Miyu?"

No, no, she didn't. Miyu was in the right there. She was right and Misa was wrong, it was Misa that needed to admit that and to apologize and to start building up trust again. Miyu didn't screw up. This wasn't her fault.

"Can we just get this over with?" Zettai asked. He already sounded bored with this whole affair. "I'd like the Monokuma File to confirm some things for me."

Monokuma whistled. "Cold as always, Bathroom Buddy? But of course. It's not like you actually cared about your lovely rook." A muscle in Zettai's jaw twitched, but otherwise he just stared at Monokuma impassively. Monokuma pouted. "Fine, be that way. Have fun investigating everyone!"

He dropped the Monokuma Files next to Shoma and scurried off back into the hall. Like Miyu thought, Hoshina was at his side in an instant. She carefully blocked Misa from his line of sight, cupping his face with both hands. Shoma didn't react in the slightest, just continued staring through her torso like she wasn't even there.

Which under normal circumstances would have been very worrisome. Miyu would have turned and looked to Misa, waiting for her to step in and handle him in the way that only she really seemed to know how to do, content to know that she would keep anything awful from happening since that was what Misa did. She would just grin and look at you and everything would be okay because you trusted that. Even when you were fighting, there were some things you just wanted to believe in.

These were not normal circumstances.

Sumire carefully stepped around the pair and picked up the Monokuma Files before handing them out to everyone. She left two on the floor for Hoshina and Shoma to take once they were ready to rejoin the rest of the group. "Well, we don't have any time to waste just standing around. We need to get started. Who would like to examine the body?"

No one volunteered for the first few seconds.

"Misa always did that," Kat said dully. She did. She had no issues being around dead bodies, and while Miyu had been so, so grateful for that in the heat of the investigation, that really should have been her first red flag. No one should be that comfortable around a corpse.

"I can," Miyu said quietly. "It should probably be me."

Sumire nodded briskly and handed Miyu a file. Zettai looked up at Misa's body and walked into the kitchen without a single word.

"We're going to go upstairs!" Fujiko declared, gesturing to herself, Satsuki and Kotoko. "Check out the third floor."

Rudolph and Ryo slowly approached Kat to include him in whatever plans they had. Miyu really, really needed to check in on him. Hoshina gently coaxed Shoma onto his feet.

"Come on, love. Let's go," she said, trying to guide him to the door.

Shoma refused to move. "No. No, I need to help," he said. So he wasn't completely catatonic, which was… good? Please let it be good.

"Okay, but not here."

"I need to help. I need – "

"I know. Just not right _here_."

Sumire watched the pair leave and shook her head. "I think we can very safely cross him off the list."

"Yeah, probably," Miyu said.

She looked down at the device in her hands and realized that her hands were shaking. It was an incredibly disconnected realization, almost like she was watching it happen to someone else's body. Someone had taken Misa away from them, and she really wasn't quite sure what that meant yet. All Miyu knew was that she was tired. Tired of trials, of investigations, of discovering that one of their friends was actually some awful murderer. Tried of losing people that she actually really fucking cared about, no matter how stupid or stubborn they were. And all that really did was make her angry.

 _I swear to God I'll find out who did this to you, Misa._

* * *

 **INVESTIGATION**

 **START!**

* * *

 _The victim is Misa Katsu, the Ultimate Smuggler. Time of death was 3:05 am. The body was discovered just after the morning announcement. The cause of death was strangulation due to hanging. There is also evidence of a blow to the back of her head. There are no other injuries. Misa was conscious at the time of her death._

Next to the text was a black and white outline of Misa's body. A thin line of pink wrapped around her neck, and there was another pink splotch near the base of her skull. But Miyu didn't pay any attention to that. Her eyes were stuck on the last sentence.

Misa was conscious at the time of her death.

She knew that she was going to die. No wonder she looked so terrified. Even hardened smugglers could be scared as they struggled and kicked and –

And yeah, she just going to stop that train of thought right there.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Monokuma File #3**

* * *

Miyu placed the file off to the side and turned her attention, albeit more reluctantly than she would like to admit, to Misa's body. It was suspended about three feet above the floor, about the height of one of the dining room chairs. And it did make the task of actually examining her body a little difficult. Should she just grab a chair and try to make it work?

Zettai appeared from the kitchen, a knife in one hand.

"What the hell are you going to do with that?" Miyu asked, immediately alarmed. Sumire also took a small, but noticeable step away from the tactician.

Zettai rolled his eyes. "I was going to cut her down, unless you would prefer to do the honors? A little hard to check the body if you can't reach most of it." He flipped the knife around and held it out to her handle first. Miyu snatched it out of his hands with a scowl. "Be my guest then."

"Don't him bully you into doing anything you aren't comfortable with," Sumire said as the other girl dragged a chair over for her to stand on.

"She's the one who harassed me about it," Zettai muttered.

"You came at us with a knife!"

"I did not. Stop being dramatic. It doesn't suit you. Makes it look like you're plotting something."

Miyu ignored both of them and stayed silent, even if there was a growing desire to snap at Zettai to shut up and go away and to never show his face again. She positioned her chair behind Misa so that she wouldn't have to look at her face while she was cutting her down, and stepped up onto it. She took a deep breath and brought the knife up to the rope.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and began cutting. It was not a fast or easy process. The rope was thick and the knife was fairly dull. The rope also creaked as Misa's body swayed from the movement, despite Miyu's best attempts to keep it still without actually touching it. Finally, the rope snapped and her body went crashing to the ground. Ryo yelped at the sudden sound. Rudolph patted his friend on the back.

"Jump scare," he said with a small, awkward giggle.

Kat flinched but otherwise didn't make a sound. He stayed rooted in the same spot, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, even as Ryo and Rudolph searched the rest of the room for clues. Miyu looked at him for a long moment before climbing down off the chair. Zettai had already rolled Misa onto her stomach and was checking her jeans pockets as Sumire watched. This time, Miyu did snap at him.

"Get your fucking hands off her. I said I would do it." It was all but a snarl, and Zettai immediately lifted his hands up in surrender. Sumire stifled a smile.

"I was just confirming something," he said evenly, even as annoyance briefly crossed his face. "The Monokuma File said that she didn't have any other injuries, which means no defensive wounds."

Sumire's good humor faded. "That doesn't sound like Misa. I can't imagine her doing anything without a fight."

Miyu knelt down next to the body and reached out to get a better look at its arms. She recoiled when it was ice cold. That was to be expected, really. Bodies grow cold. But she still hadn't been prepared for how _wrong_ it felt. Misa wasn't cold. She was fury and joy and fire. She was the sun.

She reached out again, better prepared this time, and shifted Misa over just far enough so that she could see her arms. Its arms. Her arms. They were spotless and uninjured, save for one bruise that looked a few days old.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **No Defensive Wounds**

* * *

Wait, Miyu could see her arms. Where was Misa's jacket? Or her guns for that matter? She hadn't been wearing them for the party. Were they still upstairs?

Sumire pulled out her Monopad to check it as Miyu's eyes fell to Misa's hands. They were tied behind her back with the same kind of rope that had been around her neck. That more than anything else proved that this was definitely murder. Miyu admittedly didn't have a lot of experience with ropes or tying people up, but that didn't really seem like something that you could do to yourself. It was something done to you, and another thing that she really couldn't see Misa just accepting without some kind of fight.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Hands Bound**

* * *

"Interesting," Sumire said quietly, as if she were talking to herself. Zettai and Miyu both looked at her pointedly. She sighed. "The second truth bullet that we got. It says that Misa trusted her killer. That's why she didn't fight back."

"What?" Zettai snatched the Monopad out of her hands.

"I was reading that!"

He ignored her. "Well, that's not leading at all. Monokuma has never worded truth bullets like this before."

"You're just saying that because Misa trusted you," Miyu said quietly. He looked up at her, startled. The words tasted like dust and dirt in her mouth, but it was true. Why else would Misa stick by him or look to him before saying something in front of the group? At first she had just written it off as jealousy, but no. She trusted him. More than she had trusted her, at least.

It took Zettai a moment to find his voice. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You're denying that Misa trusted you?" Sumire asked mildly.

"Misa didn't trust anyone here," he said, but Miyu knew that was a lie. She swallowed around the lump in her throat, and moved on. Misa wasn't completely uninjured. There was still the blow to the back of her head.

 _Like Tsuyoshi_.

No, not like Tsuyoshi.

That had been an accident.

Okay, Miyu, focus. Misa was hit on the back of her head. It was a little difficult to tell, but it didn't look like there were any cuts or anything. So, she was hit in a blunt object. That was progress. If only there was a way to use that to narrow down the killer further.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Blow to Back of the Head**

* * *

"So she turned her back on someone she trusted and they betrayed her," Sumire said. "Does that count as irony?"

"No," Zettai said.

"I'm going to roll her over," Miyu said. No one protested, although they also didn't make any move to help her.

"I don't suppose that either of you have an alibi?" Sumire asked, flashing Miyu a cold, almost apologetic smile when the other girl looked up at her in outrage.

"I left the party with you and then went to bed," she told her. "That's it. And then I woke up this morning and…"

"I imagine everyone will have the same story," Zettai said with a shrug. "Everyone saw me leave the party first. I believe it was around 12:30. I went to my room and didn't leave until I heard the body announcement."

"Same," Sumire said.

"No nighttime walks?" Zettai asked her. She stared at him for a long moment.

"No."

"Hm."

Miyu rolled Misa over and brushed her hair off her face. As to be expected, there wasn't really anything new to learn. Misa didn't have anything in her pockets, no marks, no clues, nothing. Zettai looked away, focusing instead on Rudolph and Ryo as they carefully looked at each of the dining room chairs. Sumire looked at him and frowned.

"The Monokuma File said that Misa was conscious when she died," she said after a moment. "Hanging isn't a quick death. It's slow, painful."

"What's your point?" Miyu snapped.

Sumire shrugged. "We haven't had this before. It's very different than accidentally drowning when unconscious or a bullet to the head. Misa suffered."

"They executed her."

The trio looked over to Kat. The explosive technician offered a dull smile.

"They executed her," he repeated. "Isn't it obvious? This wasn't a murder. They took Solo and they strung her up and they executed her like she was just some – some kind of common criminal." His voice only broke once. Otherwise, it was flat, almost lifeless. "They waited until she was awake and then they ripped the chair out from under her because they wanted to make sure that she suffered. Who could do this? Who could look at themselves after they did something like that?"

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Blackened's Cruelty**

* * *

Okay, that was enough. They were getting out of here. She was done investigating Misa's body anyways. She pushed herself up to her feet and hurried across the room to Kat. As she walked, Sumire addressed Ryo and Rudolph.

"Do either of you have alibis?"

"No, not really," Rudolph said with a small, sad sigh. "I just went to my room after the party. I stayed up a little bit to finish Misa's story though! I… I was going to give it to her at breakfast…"

"I found her," was all Ryo said.

"And I somehow doubt that either of you have found anything interesting with regards to clues," Zettai said.

"No! We found dirty footprints on one of the chairs!" Rudolph told him before deflating less than a second later. "But it didn't turn into a truth bullet."

"As I expected then."

"You don't have to be so mean!"

Miyu tuned them out after that, especially once Kat realized that she was coming to him and started shuffling away. "Kat," she said softly. He stopped moving, but still didn't look at her. "I'm so sorry."

It wasn't the right thing to say. It didn't convey nearly as much as she wanted it to. It felt completely inadequate. But it was all that she had in the moment.

Kat sniffed, roughly wiping away the tear that had escaped. "Yeah, me too, Leia." Miyu drew in an involuntary breath at the nickname, but otherwise said nothing. He finally looked at her. "So. Investigation Buddies, right?"

"If you want. It's probably better than just staying here."

"Yeah. Anything would be."

"Upstairs?"

"Upstairs."

They were silent as they walked down the hall, although they were close enough that their arms brushed against each other every couple of steps. Miyu glanced through the doorway of each room that they passed, and paused when they reached the lounge. It was the first room that had been occupied.

Shoma sat curled up in Hoshina's lap on the couch. He didn't fit, but that didn't stop him from trying to. Hoshina gently ran her fingers through his hair as his eyes darted wildly back and forth, muttering something inaudibly. She looked up at them standing in the doorway, and nodded that they could come in.

"So much for helping," Kat muttered.

Apparently, it had been loud enough for Hoshina to hear. "He's… analyzing. I think."

"Yeah, because that's better," Kat said. Miyu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Can you give us your alibis, please?" she asked. Shoma hadn't even acknowledged their presence, but it was probably a safe assumption that Hoshina knew his as well. Hoshina nodded readily enough.

"The two of us and Kotoko were the last ones to leave the party. Misa said that she was going to clean up for a few hours. But first we walked Kotoko to her room, and then Shoma walked me to mine. We, um, talked for a little bit, and then we both went to bed. I think we left her just before two, but I'm not sure."

Great. Same as everyone else then.

No, not the same as everyone else. There was new information here. Misa was the last one at the party. She hadn't even planned on going to her room, despite the late hour. Maybe she was planning to meet someone?

"I should have stayed."

Shoma's voice was quiet, but firm, a statement of facts more than anything else. His eyes had settled down to simple stare blankly out ahead. Hoshina hugged him tighter.

"You couldn't have known," she told him, but he immediately shook his head. "Shoma, you couldn't – "

"She hadn't been sleeping," he interrupted. "I knew something was wrong, but she told me that she would be fine and I…"

"You actually believed her, Fashionista?" Kat asked harshly. "You just said so yourself that you knew something was wrong, but you still just left her!"

"It was Misa," he said. "Of course I believed her." There was a note in his voice that disturbed Miyu. It was almost like awe. Like doubting Misa was physically impossible for him to do.

"Okay, may we please go back to the no sleeping thing?" she asked. That felt a bit more important than Shoma's guilt right now. Even if Miyu could more than understand where Kat's anger was coming from. If Shoma had actually stayed with her then maybe –

 _Maybe he would be dead too. Wouldn't have been that much of a loss_.

Shoma shrugged. "She hadn't been sleeping."

"Can you elaborate?" she asked, frustrating creeping into her voice. Sure, Miyu had noticed that Misa had dark circles under her eyes, but she hadn't put too much thought into it. She had been too busy feeling triumphant that their argument was affecting her just as much as it did her.

"It's something that I noticed too," Hoshina said, placing her hand on Shoma's shoulder to stop him from saying anything. "After the motive was revealed, Misa seemed withdrawn and quiet. But I put that down to stress and guilt over what was happening with her partner."

Right, that awful audio of someone screaming, of someone being tortured. And if that really was someone that Misa cared about, no wonder she hadn't been sleeping well. Miyu could still remember the look on Misa's face when Kat had been dragged away by Monokuma for breaking a rule. Friends being in danger wasn't something that the smuggler took lightly.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Lack of Sleep**

* * *

Kat closed his eyes and began fiddling with the cross on his bracelet. "She broke a rule," he said. "That stupid motive. She should have just let it play."

Yeah, but then Miyu would have seen one of her family members be threatened by Monokuma. Still, the motive was something that they would have to consider. Only four people actually saw their videos: Shoma, Hoshina, Sumire, and Rudolph. And then Misa had her audio clip. If the killer is someone who actually got their motive, then that really isn't that large of a suspect pool.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Motive**

* * *

Miyu and Kat left the lounge not long after that, with Hoshina assuring them that both her and Shoma would be able to fully participate in the trial thanks to everyone getting the truth bullets. The pair headed to the elevator and Kat hit the button for the third floor.

"I should have apologized better," he said after a moment. "To Solo. I shouldn't have stayed mad at her."

"You had reason to be mad," Miyu told him. "We both did. Still do."

Kat looked down at the floor. "Yeah, maybe. But she was still my best friend, you know? If I knew what was going to happen to her, I would have done something different. I don't' know. Try harder." He looked up at her, hopeful and expectant. But what was Miyu going to say? That she would have swallowed her pride? That she would have fucking danced with her when she offered? That she would have kissed her? What good did that do now? That would only make the guilt worse.

The elevator doors silently slid open, and Miyu stepped out into the hall without another word. Kat followed a moment later. Fujiko, Satsuki, and Kotoko were all in the party room, as expected. And for someone who was apparently supposed to stay and clean up, Misa didn't really do that great a job. Sure, cups were stacked into some kind of order as opposed to just being scattered around, but that was about it.

Fujiko gave them a half-hearted wave when she noticed them. "Hey, guys! Want to hear our report?"

"Go for it," Miyu said.

The navigator clapped her hands together. "Right! So, when we got here, the music was still blasting. You could barely even hear yourself think."

"Even though it was off when I left with Hoshina and Shoma," Kotoko interrupted. She looked at Fujiko with wide eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry! Please continue."

"Right. So Misa or the killer must have turned it back on for some reason."

"Maybe Misa did it to stay awake?" Kotoko said, interrupting yet again. "Sorry! I'm sorry!"

Wait. Stay awake? Did everyone know that Misa had trouble sleeping besides her?

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Stereo**

* * *

"I think that it's safe to say that Misa was attacked here," Satsuki said before Miyu could ask her about it. That got Kat's attention.

"What? Why?"

Satsuki motioned them over to the corner of the room. There, on the ground, sat Misa's folded up jacket and both guns. So that's where they got off to. Good. For a few minutes, Miyu was worried that they might have another trial stand off, and that was the last thing they needed.

"Misa wouldn't just leave her guns unprotected," Miyu said, earning a nod from Satsuki.

"That was my thought. She was very careful about them."

"You guys find any blood or sign of a struggle?" Kat asked. All three girls shook their heads. And that was worrying, and potentially annoying during the trial. Still, Satsuki had brought up a good point. Misa wouldn't just forget to bring her guns with her. This had to be the room where she was attacked.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Misa's Belongings**

* * *

"Can I ask alibis, or were you all just asleep too?" Miyu asked them. They all looked at each other before Fujiko shrugged.

"Yeah, kinda. I mean, what sane person is up at three in the morning?"

"Fujiko and I left together. We were both in our rooms at around 1:45," Satsuki added. "I watched her go in, and while I suppose she could have left afterwards, I really don't think so."

"Of course I didn't! I didn't fucking kill Misa!"

"…Yes. That's what I'm saying."

"Oh. Right."

"Apology accepted. I know we're all upset."

Not everyone.

In fact, there was one dick in particular that Miyu knew wasn't very upset at all.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have one either. I was just asleep as well," Kotoko told them. "Did everyone say that?" Miyu nodded. "Oh. That isn't good."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **No Alibis**

* * *

"Why did you say that Misa kept the music on the stay awake?" Miyu asked her.

"Because," Kotoko took a breath to gather her thoughts, "because I think she was afraid to go into her room. She had me stand guard with the door open to grab a change of clothes, and then used my room to get in and out of the shower. And the rules say that we can only sleep in our own room, so that probably means that she wasn't really sleeping well, if at all."

"What? Misa wasn't scared of anything!" Fujiko immediately protested. Kotoko shrank back a little.

"I'm sorry. That's just my opinion, really."

"No, that tracks with what I've seen" Kat said. "Pretty sure Monokuma was screwing with Solo's room."

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Miyu asked. "Kat! That's something that we should have known!"

"She broke a rule, okay? Monokuma does shit to you when you break a rule! And you can't stop him! No matter how hard you try."

That last sentence was significantly quieter than what had come before, and Miyu realized with startlingly clarity that Kat never did what exactly had happened to him when he was punished. Still, he forced a smile as he met Miyu's eyes unflinchingly.

"So, no, I didn't say anything. There would have been no fucking point."

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED (INCOMPLETE)**

 **Lack of Sleep**

* * *

Kotoko let out a quiet gasp. "That must have been what they were talking about then."

"Who?" Satsuki asked.

"Misa and Monokuma. It was yesterday morning. Monokuma was offering her some kind of deal, said that he was looking forward to her answer."

Miyu frowned. "Do you know what the deal was?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that much."

Did Misa ever give him an answer? Did that answer lead to her death? No, Monokuma couldn't actually kill anyone, so he couldn't just kill her for refusing him. Assuming she did refuse him. After everything with Zettai, Miyu honestly didn't know what Misa would choose.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Monokuma's Deal**

* * *

Regardless, if Monokuma really was doing something to Misa's room, Miyu should probably go see what it was. Everyone else elected to stay upstairs, leaving her to take the elevator back down by herself. Alone for the first time all day, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back until it hit the wall.

" _Nope! Too late. What is it? Seriously, if it's bugging you enough that you came to me, I want to know what it is."_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Of course! You're… you're my girl." Misa immediately looked away. "I mean, my favorite girl. That's here. Not that there's a lot of competition, but you know. You're… yeah. That. Wow, would this sound better if I said I was on powerful pain drugs? Because I'm not, but I could lie."_

 _She only looked up when Miyu gently took her hand, interlocking their fingers. "It's okay," she said quietly, looking up at her through her lashes. "You're my favorite too."_

Why didn't they just end the conversation there? Why did Misa have to press? Why did Miyu have to freak out over a line of flirting?

Something close to a sob built in Miyu's chest, but the elevator doors opened before it could escape. She took a steadying breath and shoved it back down again. Right. She could do this.

As she walked down the hall to Misa's room, she ran through the order of events in her head. Maybe if she got the timeline right, then something would click.

The party started at 7:00 pm last night. Almost everyone arrived mostly on time, with Misa and Zettai being the latecomers at around 7:45. She didn't remember anyone leaving the room until Zettai left the party sometime after midnight. Misa had followed him out, but returned a few minutes later with a smile and happy blush on her face. Not that Miyu was paying attention to that sort of thing, because she wasn't. After Zettai, the next people to leave were Kat, Ryo, and Rudolph. They left an hour later. She and Sumire were right behind them. Then, apparently it was Fujiko and Satsuki at 1:45 am, and Hoshina, Shoma, and Kotoko at just before 2:00 am. Misa was left alone to clean up.

And then, someone she trusted hit her form behind, tied her up, dragged her downstairs to the kitchen, and hung her from the chandelier once they were certain she was conscious. Executed her, to use Kat's words.

Yeah, that didn't help at all.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET ACQUIRED**

 **Party Timeline**

* * *

Misa's room was not empty when Miyu got there. In fact, the worst possible person was already there.

"Hello," Zettai said when she appeared in the doorway.

"Get out."

"No."

"Zettai – "

"Surely this room is big enough that we can both investigate," he said smoothly, absolutely indifferent to Miyu's growing rage. "Besides, I was here first. If you insist on taking turns, you'll just have to wait until I'm done."

"Fine," she spit out. "We can share."

Zettai had stopped paying attention to her, focusing instead on the various items on Misa's desk. His eyes landed on the black rook that he had given her, and reached out to gently touch it with a hand that only trembled somewhat. Making sure that Miyu wasn't watching him, he slipped the chess piece into his pocket.

Miyu was more focused on finding something that could realistically make Misa avoid her room, but there didn't seem to be anything. Sure, the room was kinda a mess, but it felt like a natural one. Misa was the type of person to leave clothes on the floor and her bed unmade.

"Maybe Monokuma moved it," she said to herself.

"Moved what?"

"None of your business."

Zettai just looked at her. "If it relates to the trial, it certainly is my business."

"Oh, you mean you don't already know? I thought that you knew everything," she snapped.

"I can guarantee that I have a better idea of who the killer is than you do," he told her.

"Is that so? Then who is it?"

"Now, now. Where's the fun in that? It's so much more interesting to see you scurry around trying to figure it out for yourself," he said with a smirk.

"How did Misa never punch you?" Miyu asked him, roughly pushing past the tactician in order to look through the other side of the room.

"No, she just pointed a gun at my face," he said, even as he reached up to rub the bruise along his jaw.

Miyu opened up the closet, mostly so that the doors would block Zettai from sight, but also to see if Misa had maybe hidden a message or something in one of her jacket pockets. Was it a long shot? Yes. But it also seemed like something that Misa would do. Please let it be something that Misa would do.

"Did Misa tell you that she wasn't sleeping?" she asked him after a quiet, tense moment.

"No, but I managed to put the pieces together myself. It was obvious if anyone actually cared to look at her."

Obvious, right.

* * *

 **TRUTH BULLET UPDATED**

 **Lack of Sleep**

* * *

There was nothing in the closet, not that Miyu honestly expected there to be. Still, the jackets were soft and nice to touch. A wild impulse shot through her, and she slipped one of the jackets off the hangers and pulled it on. It felt warm and sturdy and almost surprisingly heavy on her shoulders. It hung a bit too large on her frame, but not terribly so. Misa may have been several inches taller, but she had had a significantly thinner build. Miyu pulled the jacket together around her and closed the closet door.

Zettai looked her over once and raised his eyebrows. "It doesn't quite fit, does it?"

"I think it suits me," she told him. He still looked unconvinced.

 _ **Bing bong, Ding dong**_

"Alrighty, everyone! That's time! Let's get this trial started!"

"What? Already?" Zettai said.

"I thought you already knew who the killer was," Miyu said. Still, she couldn't help but secretly agree. This investigation period felt incredibly short compared to the other two.

"Shut up."

Well, short or not, it would have to be enough. She was going to find the killer, and make them fucking pay.

* * *

 **Poll is still on my profile if you want to guess who the killer is!**

 **Until next time!**


End file.
